Will of the Willow
by SerubiApple
Summary: Discontinued; Stay tuned for the updated version coming hopefully soon.
1. Left Alone

**CHAPTER 1**

**Bear with me this first chapter. The interesting stuff doesn't happen for a while. Right now everything is being set up. Also, this first chapter is painfully short. This is my first fanfic, so if you have any suggestions, please voice them! Anything you have to say would be helpful. Enjoy!**

_Over and over, over and over  
I fall for you  
Over and over, over and over  
I try not to_

_--Three Days Grace_

First impressions are a strange thing.

My first impression of Draco Malfoy was that he was the most intolerable git I had ever met.

If you dont make a good first impression, usually that's it. It takes forever to redeem yourself.

Someone you would never think could make an impact on your life somehow ends up being your life.

My first year at Hogwarts was mostly spend avoiding Slytherins and stalking Harry Potter and his friends. I was so certain that if he just took the time to notice me, I could be his friend, too.

Well, that never happened. They were in Griffindor, and I was in Hufflepuff. Besides having a couple classes together, I didn't see him much.

I didnt see too much of Draco that year, either. It wasnt until that next summer that I would give him much thought.

Before my second year, I was in Diagon Alley, buying my books. They were expensive this year, and mainly Gilderoy Lockhart books. I barely had enough money for all the books and a few other necessities. I had just enough left to buy myself something sweet to munch on. That was the last of the money my mother left me when she abandoned me at the orphanage that I now live at. This would mean that I need a job to pay for next year's supplies.

I checked around Diagon Alley, but no one was hiring, let alone wanted to hire an eleven-year-old. I ended up by Gringotts bank and rested. My eyes wandered over to a dark ally that ran perpendicular to Diagon Alley.

"Knockturn Alley?" I muttered to myself. I had never noticed it before. The sign was made of old wood and the paint was peeling, making the words barely readable.

Curious, I wandered in. For everything that Diagon Alley was, Knockturn Alley was the opposite. It was dark, dank, empty. Chills ran up and down my spine. I looked back at Diagon Alley, trying to make a decision.

I turned around and walked into the alley, feeling like I was sealing my fate.


	2. With Empty Hands

**CHAPTER 2**

**I GOT REVIEWS!!!! XD hehehehe. That makes me soooo happy. And it was a painfully short chapter with not much content, and I got reviews! That inspired me to update tonight. I'm here at my work from 11 p.m. to 7 am…. So Saturdays are good days for me to update. So thank you everyone who reviewed, added this story as your favorite, or added it to your story alerts. So here is chapter 2. It's a tad more eventful. Enjoy!**

_It takes horns to hold up my halo  
and strength to get through the fight  
Now I'm laying my cards on the table  
praying everything will be alright_

_--Papa Roach_

I wandered through Knockturn Alley with my head down, only looking up to stare at the strange shops advertising products that were obviously associated with the dark arts. I had no idea that Harry Potter had traveled this same winding road just the day before.

One shop in particular had a help wanted sign in the dingy window.

It looked like an old, run down shack. A sign hung halfway above the door, all the paint was worn or chipped off, and the name of the shop, Borgin and Burkes, was barely legible.

I entered and looked around in disgust. Dust, grime, and dirt covered the floor and shelves, which held various things such as wicked looking weapons, blood stained cards, jars of eyes, teeth, and other unknown substances, a crooked hand, and a very pretty, very deadly looking necklace that I obviously didn't want to touch.

The front desk was the only clean surface in the whole shop. I resisted the urge to start cleaning. At the orphanage, keeping the place clean was mainly my job (although I think the headmistress just liked using me as child labor), and over the years I've developed a slight OCD.

On the desk there was a little brass bell with cakes of dirt on it. I was a little reluctant to touch it, but after silently scolding myself, I rang it, then wiped my hands on my jeans.

I stood there awkwardly for a while. I was about to leave when I heard someone wheezing and hacking up the stairs.

"I'm coming," he wheezed. "Hold yer horses."

A tall, gangly old man wearing blood red robes (although they were so worn and stained that they could have once been black) came stumbling up the stairs, breathing hard.

He has short, thinning gray hair with greedy black eyes, a crooked nose, and gray stubble on his chin.

"Yes?" he asked sharply. "What do yeh want?"

"Uh," I stammered, "I saw your help wanted sign and wanted to apply for next summer… I'm good at cleaning and I thought…" I shut my mouth. I suddenly felt very stupid standing there. Who would hire an eleven-year-old?

"Eh," he thought to himself, rubbing his chin and looking around at his shop, "could use some cleaning, I suppose…"

He grabbed and thrust a broom at me.

"Yeh start today. I'll pay yeh two Galleons per hour, and yeh come to work on yer holidays," he growled.

Surprised, but delighted, I accepted.

My job was simple. I was to clean and organize the front area, and after I managed that, the shopkeeper, Mr. Burke, would show me how to categorize the stock he had in back, although I wasn't likely to get to that until much later.

I was to do all chores without magic. Most of the objects had unknown enchantments on them, so he didn't want any other magic to conflict with them.

"I don't want me shop blown up!" he exclaimed.

I got to work sweeping the floors (which took me an hour just for that), dusted and polished the shelves, and put the most dangerous items in glass display cases or on shelves up high so no one could touch them.

The front windows were massive and held probably several years of dirt and grime on them, so I had been avoiding them all day.

With a sigh, I started to work on them. Night was falling when the bell above the door jingled. Draco Malfoy and, I presumed, his father stepped inside.

They looked around, startled.

"It's cleaner than yesterday," Draco muttered while Mr. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

I heard wheezing and hacking and Mr. Burke came around the corner. He smiled when he saw the Malfoys. He was missing several teeth.

"Hello, Lucius," he greeted smoothly. "I was expecting you."

"I have brought several other-" he glanced at me "-things that I talked to Mr. Borgin about yesterday. Borgin was less than… hospitable."

I turned crimson and continued cleaning the windows.

"Yes, well, Borgin left yesterday and will be gone for several months," Burke explained, "and I apologize for his rude behavior."

Malfoy nodded, although I could tell he was less than pleased.

They did business for a log time, haggling prices over each object. By then I was just about finished with the windows.

I didn't notice them stop as I was trying to wipe away a particularly stubborn spot of dirt. Soon I would be done.

I was startled out of my thoughts by tapping on my shoulder. I jumped with a slight squeak and was met with bright, ice blue eyes. I felt electricity run through my veins. I tried to shake off the odd sensation.

Draco's face slid into an easy smirk.

"We asked you a question," he said.

Now this was odd. From what I had heard of the Malfoys, they didn't bother with the hired help, thinking they were above any in the working class.

Embarrassed, I stammered an apology. Draco's eyes laughed at me. I turned my eyes away uneasily.

Burke grabbed my attention. "I asked yer name, laddie," he growled, unhappy with having to repeat himself.

"Oh. It's Willow," I said quietly.

"Well, Willow," my name sounded foreign on his tongue, "'ere's yer pay fer the day," he said, dumping several galleons in a small satchel and handing it to me.

"Thank you…" I said awkwardly. I was acutely aware of the Malfoys staring at me, and suddenly, the shop seemed way too small for comfort. I was happy when the Malfoys left and I was also allowed to leave.

I went home tired, by myself, but happier. I knew that my future would be okay. I had a job and could provide for myself. I felt good about that.


	3. Losing You Is More Than I Can Stand

**CHAPTER 3**

**Thanks to:**

**Echo1317**

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**CorianderSpice**

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**silenaandbeckendorf4ever  
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**For reviewing, adding Will of the Willow to Story Alert, Favorite Story, or a combination of the three! You guys rock! And getting reviews and alerts in mah email makes me all giddy and happy inside and makes me want to write more. I already have Chapter 4 and part of Chapter 5's rough drafts finished. Anyway, here is chapter 3. Enjoy!**

_It's easier to run  
Replacing this pain with something numb  
It's so much easier to go  
Than face all this pain here all alone_

_-Linkin Park_

I didn't go back to the shop until Christmas. I was honestly glad to be going away for the holidays. I didn't have any friends to spend break with, and I didn't like an empty Hogwarts. Nor did I want to go back to the orphanage where I would be forced to clean anyway, but without pay. Burke wasn't much company, but he was better than nothing, or the headmistress at the orphanage.

Draco Malfoy, I knew, was staying for the holidays. I was glad to get away from him. We had not spoken since that first day in Borgin & Burkes, but I could tell he noticed me when others didn't. He would stare at me. It was a bit unnerving.

Burke had let the shop collect dust in my absence (although I couldn't really blame him since he was as old as the dirt on the floor), but the front area was nowhere near as bad as the first time I cleaned it. The cluttered back area, however, was a different story. You could barely turn around with all the boxes piled everywhere.

Each box marked the known description of the object it contained and where it came from. Our job was to organize everything, decide if it was worth putting out front or kept in back, and make a description list of the object and sometimes a warning.

It was time consuming work, but not unpleasant.

I stayed in a "spare bedroom," which was merely the attic Burke had me clear out. I didn't mind.

I worked hard through Christmas break, but that was okay with me. The pay was good and Burke wasn't as unpleasant as he wanted people to think. He had a heart somewhere deep down. Very deep down.

I had daydreams about Burke adopting me so I could take care of him and help run the shop, and, eventually, inherit it. I was growing quite fond of the old coot.

I never voiced this thought out loud.

I did, however, demand that we have Christmas dinner the proper way. I even cooked everything the muggle way, and it wasn't half-bad. I think Burke enjoyed it, even though he grumbled about the turkey being slightly overcooked.

The day before I was supposed to leave, we were sorting through some old artifacts in the back room, deciding what should be kept in storage for a while, and what should be put out front to be sold. Sales had boosted just this Christmas, and we needed to fill the empty space.

With the boost in sales came a boost in the variety of customers. Most were the kind I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of. Burke wouldn't let me deal with the customers. He thought I might "screw somethin' up," but I think he wanted to protect me.

But I could be wrong.

Catching myself daydreaming (I tend to do that quite a bit), I forced myself to concentrate on the task at hand.

Then, I came across a very beautiful bracelet. It was pure sterling silver and molded into little snakes. Each one had another's tail in its mouth, forming a circle. If I moved it, they appeared as if they were dancing. Each snake had a tiny emerald as its eye.

"What's this?" I asked Burke softly.

"Eh?" he inquired. He put down a musical box he had been examining. I suppressed a shudder. The description said that anyone who hears its melody would go raving mad. Victims in the past had killed their loved ones and others in their spell-induced fury.

I handed the bracelet to Burke and he looked at it closely.

"This," he spoke slowly, "belonged to Slytherin himself. It has a dark history and I'm not sure exactly how it ended up in me shop. It has some sort of enchantment on it, but I have yet to find out what it is."

He gave it back for me to look at. A very strange feeling passed over me. The bracelet felt oddly familiar in my hands. I had the sudden impulse to put it on. Resisting, I handed it back.

"You should put that out front. It's probably worth a lot," I said. Burke nodded and placed it in his pocket, out of view.

Later, when I was filling out descriptions (Burke gave the job to me since his handwriting was barely legible), all I could think about was that bracelet. It was like it somehow had some sort of hold on me.

I went to bed that night dreaming of silver and emeralds.


	4. I Cant Mend

**CHAPTER 4**

**Wow! Reviews! I love reviews! **

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**Anywho, quick question: Do you think my chapters are too short? I'm kind of thinking that, but if I waited till the next opportunity to end the chapter, it'd be SUPER long. So, tell me what you think! Please and thank you!**

**Ok, I've not answered some people's questions, so I'll do that now while I remember.**

**silenaandbeckendorf4ever asked what year it was in, and right now they're in their second year.**

**Ok… Maybe there was only one person with an actual question… Anyway, I don't have time to reply to EVERYONE'S comments and compliments (I'm actually avoiding laundry and homework right now), but they're all very much appreciated and make me all giddy and I'm in a good mood the rest of the day. Anyway, so here is chapter 4 (stating the obvious)! Yay! Enjoy!**

_You suck me in and spit me out  
I cannot control the feeling  
Poisonous kisses from your mouth  
That leave me so addicted_

_--The Used_

A month and a half later, the bracelet was still on my mind. I had been obsessing over it since I laid eyes on it. That scared me a little, and yet, I wanted someone to send it to me for my birthday, which was two weeks ago. Of course, that would never happen, but I couldn't help but hope.

I was daydreaming and not watching where I was walking. I rounded a corner and ran right into someone.

"Ahh!" I screamed, fell, and spilled everything everywhere.

"Oww…" Draco Malfoy complained, rubbing his forehead. He looked down at me.

"I am _so_ sorry!" I exclaimed and rushed to pick up my things. "I am so clumsy," I cursed myself, cheeks burning.

Instead of sneering like I expected him to, Draco started to help.

We picked up my things in silence and he handed my stuff to me.

Ink had soaked into all of my parchment paper and books, completely ruining them. I would have to find a spell to erase it later, or I would have to buy more.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

"No problem," he shrugged casually. He seemed as surprised with himself as I was. "Willow, right?" he asked, staring at me.

"Y-yeah…" I looked up, startled.

He remembered my name. No one ever remembers me, let alone my name (with some excuses like Burke and the headmistress at the orphanage, of course). I was the perfect wallflower. Practically invisible.

"Where were you headed?" he asked. "I'll walk you."

I was a little suspicious. Was this a set up for some sick joke? It _was_ Valentine's Day, after all. The holiday of fake love, broken hearts, love potions, and ridiculously pricey flowers and chocolates. Many immature boys and girls decide to use this holiday for their own selfish amusement or revenge.

I shrugged off my doubts and decided to try to trust him. I could be a participant in a joke, but if I wasn't, who was I to pass off the opportunity to make a friend? Even if it _was_ Draco Malfoy…

I admitted that I was headed to the Hufflepuff common room. He nodded and we walked in silence. I let the way.

Awkward, I thought.

Suddenly, we heard commotion up ahead. Curious, we approached a large group of students gaping at some spectacle. The crowd parted for Draco, and I followed close behind.

"What's going on?" Draco drawled coldly.

In the center of the hall, Harry Potter was picking up things he spilled on the floor as fast as he could. I could see that his bag was ripped at the bottom. A disgruntled looking dwarf dressed as cupid had a letter in his hand.

The voice of Percy Weasley sounded above everyone else's.

"What's all this commotion?" he demanded.

Harry tried to run, but the dwarf practically tackled him, sending the boy crashing to the floor. Draco busted up laughing beside me.

The dwarf sat on Harry and sang an awful, very embarrassing Valentine's sonnet to Harry and the crowd. He looked like he wanted to disappear on the spot.

When he was done, the dwarf got up and left. Percy did his best to dissipate the remaining students, some laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

Draco picked up a little black book from the floor. Harry must have dropped it.

"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" he asked aloud, showing Crabbe and Goyle a diary. I was easily forgotten.

Percy ordered Draco to give the diary back.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry shouted, his wand pointed at Draco. The diary flew out of Draco's hands and into Ron Weasley's.

Percy told off a victorious looking Harry for doing magic in the halls. It was against the rules and blah blah blah. It was obvious he didn't care about a few lost points.

Draco spotted Ginny Weasley and yelled spitefully, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"

The embarrassed girl covered her face and ran to the safety of her classroom

Hoping that he forgot about me in he heat of the moment like anyone else would have, I turned to leave.

Draco grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"I'll still walk you," he said slightly aggressively.

After that display, I didn't want to be anywhere near him. He was cruel and mean, but I relented. I didn't want to go around making enemies if I didn't have even one friend.

So he walked me to the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room. The walk was quite unpleasant. It was apparent I didn't want his company and that I was slightly miffed by his behavior. I was lucky there were no other Hufflepuffs about. If they knew I showed a Slytherin where our common rooms were, I would be in deep shit.

We stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"So… See you around," Draco said.

"Yeah… See you…"

He walked away stiffly. I stood there a moment contemplating. I was very confused, and maybe I was a little too hard on him. He _was_ trying, although _why_ he was trying in the first place was unknown to me.

Then again, he was an ass. And it's pretty hard to be a wallflower if I was friends with Draco Malfoy, who brought attention everywhere he went.

Deciding to put him out of my mind, I entered the common room (the password was Beetlejuice, the idea of a muggle born third year) and occupied myself with the large amount of homework I had.


	5. Close My Eyes

**CHAPTER 5**

**Hai everybody!! Sorry this chapter is so late getting out. About a whole week. I'M SORRY!!! I really don't have an excuse… I just kind of stopped writing. Didn't feel very inspired. But I'm refreshed from a four day weekend, so I'll probably start uploading every day again, if not every other day.**

**Anyway, chapter 5 awaits! Enjoy!**

**Oh, and thanks to everyone who reviewed/etc.! I loves yoooouuuu!!**

_I used to hideaway and only try to save myself_

_From falling in love, or staying up on the shelf  
I was afraid to walk the streets alone, or by your side  
Just waiting up for something that could save my life_

_--Boys Like Girls_

I spent the next few weeks avoiding Draco Malfoy at every possible angle. It was awkward to be around him. I didn't understand him at all. He was a living oxymoron, and I had a feeling I was one of the few who saw this other side to him.

My plan was working well until Hufflepuffs had double potions with Slytherins. I was trying to make him forget me by avoiding him. Out of sight, out of mind. But Snape paired me with Draco.

At first, we barely spoke to each other except to talk about the potion.

"Stir that three times," "put this in," or "cut these up."

Our potion suddenly turned a strange red color and started to bubble violently. It was supposed to be a simmering violet.

"What did we do wrong?!" I asked, frustrated. I consulted the book, but it didn't help. I felt like drowning myself in the depths of the cauldron.

"Who cares?" Draco asked, obviously as frustrated as I was. "I'm going to get us out of class," he decided.

"How are you going to do that?" I asked suspiciously. I know Draco was practically Snape's favorite student, but would he allow us to skip the whole class? Seemed unlikely.

Draco slid an easy smirk on his face and grinned at me. My stomach did a little flop.

"By creating a distraction, of course! _Serpensortia_," he said casually, pointing his wand at the floor. A large, black python slithered from its tip and onto the ground.

I stared at it wide eyed. What was Draco playing at?

The snake headed for a small Hufflepuff girl. She screamed and jumped on her chair, knocking over her cauldron in the process.

More cries of alarm erupted throughout the class as the students noticed the snake and the half-finished potion on the floor.

I rolled my eyes, angry. He was so immature.

"Make it stop!" I ordered, but that's not what came out of my mouth. Instead, a strange hissing sound came out.

I clapped my hands over my mouth and adverted my eyes from Draco, who was staring at me in shock. I looked around. Everyone was too distracted by the commotion to notice us.

Draco grabbed my hand and half pulled, half dragged me from the dungeon. Once outside the classroom, he forced his icy gaze upon me. Tingles ran up and down my spine.

"You're a Parseltongue!" he accused.

"Please, _please_ don't tell anyone!" I begged. I didn't want anyone to find out. People wouldn't only notice me, but they would whisper behind my back and throw me dirty glances. Some teachers wouldn't treat me the same, either. They would act like I was a bomb that could go off at any moment. Only the darkest of wizards could speak Parseltongue, with the exception of Harry Potter.

Draco looked at me.

"Are you the heir of Slytherin?" he asked me seriously.

"What?! No! Of course not!" I gasped. Just because I was somehow a Parseltongue, didn't mean I was a monster that went around petrifying people.

He looked as if he didn't quite believe me, but let it drop.

"Okay, I'll keep your secret," relief flooded thorough me, "but you have to do something for me."

"Okay, fine, anything," I agreed.

"Be my friend."

That didn't sound so bad. There must be a reason for his apparent interest, and maybe I could figure it out if we were friends. Draco looked at me with such sincerity in his eyes. He honestly wanted a friend.

I accepted. A heavy feeling fell over me. It felt similar to the day I decided to explore Knockturn Alley. Like I was somehow sealing my fate. As if I made a decision between two choices and I somehow made the wrong one.

For the rest of the year, Draco attempted to get me to trust him. He was rude, cocky, and mean to everyone else, even his so-called "friends." Strangely, he was nice to me.

Mainly, he talked and I listened, which made him pretty happy. I don't think he had anyone to simply listen to him. Crabbe and Goyle were too stupid to be of any solace, and the other Slytherins would look down on him for it. They befriended him simply because of his status and money.

I think he was lonely.

My theory was that Draco put up an icy, mean front to keep people emotionally at bay.

Although, I could be wrong. I've never been a good judge of character, I thought to myself as Draco was boasting about how his father "got rid of Dumbledore."

Somehow, Dumbledore being gone didn't scare me. Yes, I wanted our headmaster back just as much as anyone else (Slytherins excluded), and I wanted the attacks to stop, but I felt like I was… safe from whatever was attacking people. The Chamber of Secrets didn't threaten me.

The school year ended with quite a bang. Ginny Weasley was taken to the chamber, Dumbledore returned, the school was going to be evacuated, Harry Potter saved the Weasley girl, school was back on, Professor Lockhart lost his memory, and (much to everyone's delight) exams were cancelled.

I somehow felt… numb to everything, like it didn't effect me. Sometimes I poked myself to make sure I was still there.

Is there something wrong with me? I asked myself that more than once.

I sat by myself on the train ride home. I didn't like being around Draco when his friends were there. They tend to glare at me, when they noticed me, anyway. The Slytherin girls were especially venomous.

I was sad to leave Hogwarts, but a little excited. I wasn't going to spend a minute in that wretched orphanage this summer. I would be spending it working at Borgin & Burkes.

When we got off the train I saw Draco greet his mother. He looked up and saw me. He said something to his mom and ran over.

"Well, I guess… Um, goodbye," I stammered.

"I'll see you this summer," Draco laughed. I liked his laugh. He didn't genuinely laugh often enough.

"You are?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah! You're working at Borgin & Burkes, right?"

I nodded.

"I'll come visit you through the Floo Network," he explained.

That made me even more excited, if that was possible. I said goodbye to Draco and looked for the muggle taxi Burke had sent for me. The cab driver eyed my luggage and clothing suspiciously.

I didn't care. I was going to have the best summer ever.


	6. And Make A Wish

**CHAPTER 6**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! I really appreciate it. I would have had this chapter up ages ago, but I've been grounded, and the school blocked this website. So I've had a long time to write, so I'm going to see how many chapters I can type and update before I have to go home at 5. Anyway, Enjoy!**

_I don't want to see another photograph_

_And I don't want to talk about the way it used to be_

_'Cause I barely can stand the sound... to hear you laugh_

_I just have to know the reason why you breathe_

_--Gretchen_

Draco was very different when he was away from his posse and school, where no one was judging him or expecting anything from him. He smiled and laughed more. He was nicer and just more pleasant overall.

At first, he came to visit me only once or twice a week, but increased to almost every day. Sometimes he would stay for dinner, and he never complained about my cooking, no matter how bad it was (I was trying new things, and they didn't always go well the first time). If Burke didn't like him around, he gave no inclination.

The summer was winding down when Draco and I were sorting through a new shipment of objects. He said he liked to help me, and I welcomed it without protest.

We had finished with one box and Draco had left to get another out of the storage room when a voice in the doorway startled me.

"What is Draco Malfoy doing here?" he spat.

I turned around to see a middle-aged man with shaggy, greasy black hair that fell into small, twitchy eyes that darted around the room in a dishonest way. He was tall and skinny (except around the middle) with a slight stoop and a limp.

"Who are you?" I asked, alarmed. I had never seen this man before and he creeped me out.

"Idiot girl," he snarled, "I am Mr. Borgin, co-owner of this establishment." His eyes narrowed in distaste. "Why, in God's name, would willingly welcome Lucius Malfoy's son into my shop?"

Speechless, I said nothing.

"He is obviously telling his father everything that we have stored here, everything that we own!"

I was stunned. The accusation was ridiculous.

Borgin reached down and pulled me up by my hair. I screamed in pain.

"Foolish girl!" he cursed me. I whimpered in pain and fright.

"Let her go," Draco spoke quietly. He must have heard my scream.

Borgin sprung away as if burned. I massaged my scalp, wincing.

Draco stood his full height and looked Borgin straight in the eye. He had grown quite a bit over the summer, and nearly exceeded the older man's height.

"You'd do best to keep you r hands off my best friend, and your words and assumptions to yourself," Draco said with silent fury. The way he spoke reminded me of a fairy-tale prince. I was reminded of the way Slytherins at school would call him the Prince of Slytherin, and now I understood why.

Draco motioned me to him and pulled me behind him and out of view from Borgin.

Draco and Borgin glowered at each other until Borgin dropped his gaze in submission. He knew how stupid it was to offend the son of Lucius Malfoy.

"I apologize, young Master Malfoy," he said reluctantly between his yellowing teeth.

Satisfied, Draco turned to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded. He smiled at me.

"Come on, Willow, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

Borgin, I later found, had come back early from Scandinavia. Burke wasn't too happy to hear how he offended Draco and grabbed my hair. I heard them arguing that night. Burke told Boring to shut up and accept it when he had complained about Draco frequenting the shop so much, and helping me sort through the stock.

For the rest of the summer, I tried to avoid Borgin, and made sure I was never alone with him. The memory of the way he grabbed me stayed fresh in my mind. His eyes tended to roam freely over my body, and I caught him staring at me on more than one occasion. I had filled out a bit over the summer, my bust and butt growing out into a curvier silhouette. I started wearing baggy clothing to cover myself from Borgin's creepy gaze.

He wasn't the only thing I had to worry about. A mass murderer, Serious Black, had escaped from Azkaban, so, for my own safety, I couldn't go anywhere outside the shop without an escort.

This was quite frustrating, especially when I wanted to go shopping in Diagon Alley, or in London. This proved especially difficult because Draco and Burke never wanted to accompany me on shopping trips.

Soon, the summer was almost to a close. When we needed to go buy our school supplies, Draco and I went together.

Our clothes needed adjusting, books bought (Draco had to get _The Monster Book of Monsters_ for Care of Magical Creatures, and it nearly took off his hand), parchment paper and quills replenished, etc.

By the end of the day, I still had money left over. I was pretty proud of myself for having earned every penny I spent. When I voiced this thought out loud, Draco laughed at me.


	7. To Lose Myself

**CHAPTER 7  
Thanks to anyone who reviewed! I have only a couple of people who are still reviewing. Not to sound like I'm whiney, but if you used to review and don't now because you don't like something, please message me. I like feedback. Anywho, thanks to  
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CorianderSpice  
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RIOTAGAINSTAPUSHISTORY**  
**For reviewing! I love you guys. Anyway, chapter 7!!! Enjoy!  
**

_You should never leave me home alone  
Heaven knows where I might wanna go  
When you ask if you could be my man  
I say, thank you honey, come again_

_That's why you like it._

_--Kerli_

I didn't see Draco again until we met up on the Hogwarts Express the first of September. He insisted that I sit with him on the train, even though his "friends" would be there.

It took a promise of free sweets off the trolley, but I eventually agreed.

I was pretty much ignored by Draco's friends most of the time. They Slytherin girls shot me death glares between looks of adoration whenever Draco happened to touch or talk to me.

Well, they can have him, I thought to myself irritably. Right now they were all laughing at something Draco said.

I shifted my gaze to the window. I was in the corner, between Draco and the window, with Crabbe across from me, Goyle next to Draco, and Pansy Parkinson and another Slytherin girl next to Crabbe. The arrangement was obviously not to their liking. Pansy was trying her best to sit the farthest away from Crabbe as possible while being the closest to Draco as she could. The other Slytherin girl was almost smashed, but seemed to be glad to not be sitting by Crabbe.

I eventually fell asleep, and when I awoke, the train was slowing to a stop.

"Are we there?" I asked Draco groggily.

"No," he said, confused.

My eyes snapped open, suddenly awake. If we weren't there yet, then why did we stop?

I attempted to look out the window, but all I saw was darkness.

The train came to an abrupt stop. Luggage fell from the rafters, hitting students as they crashed down.

Crabbe was thrown onto my lap, and my head hit the wall painfully. Angrily, I pushed Crabbe off me and onto the floor.

I caught a glimpse of Draco's alarmed expression before all the lamps went out and we were plunged into total darkness.

Pansy squealed with fright and groped around desperately for Draco and ended up elbowing me in the face.

I let out a small whimper of pain. I felt someone's cold hand grab my own, and I was pulled out of the compartment. The air was frigid and not a sound was heard.

We slipped into another compartment, running into two others.

"Ow!" I said, rubbing my nose. The person I ran into grabbed me by the shoulders, preventing me from falling. He didn't let go, but held me steady.

"Who is this!?" Draco asked.

"I'm Fred, and what'd you come in here for? Is widdle Dracy afwaid?" Fred Weasley taunted.

Draco was about to give a retort when a wave of despair engulfed us, silencing any other thought and freezing our hearts.

I felt like I was never going to be warm or happy again despite being in the arms of a very warm George Weasley. I started to shake violently. I knew these were the symptoms of the effects of dementors, but why would there be dementors on the train?

I listened hard through the silence. Was that a swish of a cloak, a rattling breath?

Suddenly, our compartment door opened and a dementor stood in the doorway. I hadn't been imagining things, but I wish I had. The dementor sucked in air through the dark folds of his robe, making me feel like he was sucking out the very life from me.

Seconds stretched into an eternity before the dementor was satisfied and moved on. We didn't relax until the dementor was further down the train.

No on spoke or moved until the lights came back on and the train started moving again.

"What are dementors doing here?" I managed to croak out. The cold still lingered in my heart.

"Searching for Serious Black, I suppose," Draco replied. His face was very pale and his hands were shaking. The Weasley twins were just as pale, and if I looked in a mirror, I wouldn't be surprised to know I was, too.

"Well, now that the dementor is gone, you can get out," George growled, his breath tickled my hair. My cheeks burned red as I realized George's arms were still around me.

Draco threw a smoldering glare at the twins.

"Come on, Willow. We're not welcome here, as if we would want their company," he snarled.

I really didn't mind their company, but the look on Draco's face told me not to argue.

Draco was in a foul mood for the rest of the train ride, despite buying everyone chocolate and other sweets. He normally loved to throw around his money and show off. He must have been in a very bad mood.

The chocolate warmed away the lingering cold from the dementor, and I felt loads better.

Draco finally cheered up upon hearing that Harry Potter had fainted when the dementor was on their end of the train.

"You _fainted,_ Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually _fainted_?" he drawled, very delighted. We had just gotten off the horseless carriage, and he was already causing trouble.

He was getting into a heated argument with Ron Weasley. I was sure they would draw wands, but a new professor sporting ragged robes put a stop to it. However, Draco's good mood would not be put down. He laughed at Harry's expense the whole way to the Great Hall.

By the time we assembled in the great hall, sorted the first years, and Dumbledore gave his speech, word that Harry had fainted on the train had shot though the student body like wildfire.

I didn't quite understand why Draco was teasing Harry so much. He hadn't been all that brave on the train, either. He also wouldn't tell me why he switched compartments before the dementor came. He wouldn't admit he was scared.

After the feast, when the other students were heading to their respective dormitories, Draco pulled me aside.

"Meet me at breakfast, and we'll compare schedules," he said.

"Um, okay…" I replied, slightly put off by his straightforward demeanor.

He smiled, said goodnight, and left.

I stared after Draco for a moment, watching his blonde hair disappear out of sight.

I turned around and, for the second time that night, ran into a solid chest. He caught me so I wouldn't fall. I looked up and started into the eyes of one of the Weasley twins.

"Whoa, there," he said, smiling knowingly.

"Um, thanks," I said awkwardly.

"Well, good night then," he said pleasantly. He winked at me and walked off.

Slightly confused, I just shook my head and headed off to bed. I put the eventful night out of my mind and drifted off to sleep.


	8. So I'll Forget About You

**CHAPTER 8**

**^^ Two updates in one day!! I'm on a roll. Sorry this chapter is so short, though. The next one is really cute, and long.**

**silenaandbeckendorf4ever: to answer your question, possibly. Aaaaaand that's all I'm really going to say. XD Evil writer, aren't I?**

**Anyways, thanks to all who reviewed and are going to review! I love hearing from you! Enjoy!**

_You can see that this broken soul is bleeding  
So you can see your feelings inside yourself  
And wander through my heart  
Letting you see through me  
Now only consumes me  
Forget your pain, watch me fall apart_

_--Three Doors Down_

Then next morning, I sat with Draco at the Slytherin table. I felt like a yellow dot in a sea of green.

I ate quietly, preoccupied with my thoughts. The mail had just come for the first time, and like every year, I got nothing. Draco's mum sent him sweets and a letter, making his good mood even better. Every time he saw Harry Potter, he would pretend to faint and all the Slytherins would laugh and sneer at the Griffindors.

I sat there thinking about how lucky Draco was to have a mother who would send him sweets and love. How lucky he was to have a mother at all.

Draco was oblivious to my mood as he always was while around his posse.

The day went on (we had compared schedules earlier), and we passed notes in Charms and History of Magic.

It was a typical first day back, until I heard someone speak Draco's name in a conversation. I peaked around the corner. Three sixth year Ravenclaws were gossiping.

"Malfoy got hurt by a hippogriff. Says he's going to make his father get the new gamekeeper fired," one said.

"What happened?" another gasped.

"Wasn't paying attention," the third growled, "and insulted the beast. Got a little scratch on his arm, but the way the git is going on about it, you would think he had his arm torn off!"

"Poor hippogriff. Just his unlucky day," the first sympathized. "Probably will just have a trial and execution. Nothing good ever happens to anyone or anything who crosses a Malfoy."

"My uncle had a hippogriff, called-"

I stopped listening at that point. I had heard enough. I was very, very pissed off at Draco. It was bad enough that he terrorized his fellow classmates (and some professors), but to get an innocent animal killed because of his stupidity and pride? And get Hagrid fired? That was unforgivable!

I had a soft spot for animals of any kind, and couldn't bear the thought of one being executed because of something Draco did.

Draco wasn't in classes until Thursday, his arm in a sling. He told anyone who would listen about how much pain he was in and how he barely escaped with his life.

I made a point to glare at him whenever he was near, and wouldn't go near him or talk to him. He was so involved with the attention the other Slytherins were giving him, I doubt he really noticed.

A couple of days passed and it finally entered his thick skull that he had upset me, but I didn't give him the chance to explain anything. I avoided him like the plague, even going to such extremes as ducking behind groups of other students so he wouldn't see me. I didn't want to talk to him.

One night, two weeks and a day after the start of the term, Draco caught up with me and pulled me into an empty classroom.

"Have you been avoiding me?" he asked. His icy gaze gave me the chills.

"Yes."

"Why?" he asked, looking slightly hurt. I forced myself not to feel sorry for him.

I glanced at the sling he still had on his arm.

"Because you're an ass," was my curt reply.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not mean to _you_."

"So what!? You pissed me off! You're just fine, and your own stupidity caused you to get hurt in the first place. You're willing to milk it and get an innocent animal executed and Hagrid fired." My voice rose a little with every word.

Understanding flickered into his expression.

What did he _think_ I was angry about? I asked myself.

"So…?"

Angry, I rolled my eyes and walked out, slamming the door.

After a moment, Draco swung open the door and ran after me.

"Willow! Wait!" he exclaimed dramatically, grabbing my arm and forcing me to stop. I refused to look at him.

"Let me explain! Flint wants me to use this as an excuse so Griffindor will have to play Hufflepuff and not us."

My anger flared and I gave him the iciest glare I could muster.

"So you're using your _fake_ injury as a way to cheat!? You're resorting to trickery because you might _lose_!?"

He gave me an astonished, blank stare that affirmed my accusation.

Disgusted, I yanked my arm away and stormed off. Draco didn't follow me.


	9. It's No Use

**CHAPTER 9**

**Yay! This is my favourite chapter so far.**

**So… acknowledgements!!**

**CorianderSpice: It's ok! You still review, so I'm happy. I love getting your reviews.**

**silenaandbeckendorf4ever: I love that you comment on every chapter!!! Are you kidding? Don't stop!! XD **

**viglover2: Glad you like it!! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I was in a REALLY good mood, so the happy chapter X) Enjoy!**

_I'm alive  
For the first time in my life  
I just know that I'm alive  
I wanna dance the night away_

_--Da Buzz_

As the year went on, my anger would ebb away a little, until Draco would do something else (like show up at the Ravenclaw vs. Griffindor match dressed like dementors) and I would get pissed off again.

If he missed me at all, he gave no sign. I tried my best not to miss him and his stupid smirk, and the way he would tell me things, the way he ruffled my hair so I'd scream at him… I missed my best, and only, friend, even though he _was_ an ass.

A couple of weeks after my birthday (February 7), I was enjoying a practically empty castle. Most of the other students, third years and above, were at the last Hogsmeade visit of the season. I stayed behind. I had forgotten to swing by the orphanage and get my permission form signed. I didn't really mind, though. I enjoyed the quiet.

I looked out on the castle grounds, thinking about going for a walk. The snow glittered and twinkled. It called to me. It was just waiting to be disturbed by my footprints.

I had an odd obsession about walking in snow. I liked to walk in fresh snow. I'm delighted knowing that my footsteps were the first to mar the blank canvas that was a field of fresh snowfall.

Strange, I know.

I dashed back to my room and pulled on snow boots, a thick yellow parka, and wrapped my Hufflepuff scarf around my neck. I preferred muggle clothing over robes, especially in the winter. Robes just weren't as warm…

Pulling a wool hat on and grabbing my wand, I left the castle in quiet excitement.

Once outside, the snow was blinding. With a giddy laugh, I ran into the knee deep snow, grabbed a handful of the soft powder, and threw it into the air. I watched as it fell down into my hair, face, and around me.

Not caring if anyone saw me, I jumped/dived straight into the snow, then flipped myself over and started moving my arms and legs.

When I finished my snow angel, I made a smiley face where my head had lay. Then I started walking, looking back now and then to look at my footprints, and laughed at myself when I fell.

I had made my way over to the lake when I decided to stop and rest at a tree.

I heard footsteps coming up the path, and the person grumbling quietly to himself. I peaked around the tree and saw Draco walking by himself with his head down. His hair was wet as if he just took a bath, and he looked like he was in a foul mood.

Feeling slightly mischievous (and I just wanted to hit Draco with something), I gathered up some snow and packed it into a lumpy ball.

I aimed for his head, but ended up hitting his shoulder. I ducked behind the tree, trying to resist laughing.

"Who did that!?" he demanded to the open air.

I placed my hands over my mouth to stop myself from busting up and giving myself away.

Draco was still for a while, and then started walking again. I made another snowball, aimed a little above and to the left of his head, and launched it as hard as I could.

The snowball hit the back of his head with a satisfying _thud_. This time, I couldn't help but start laughing uncontrollably.

Draco turned around, looking like he wanted to murder someone. Snow dripped from his hair and onto his shoulder. I laughed harder.

Once he realized I was the one who threw the snow, Draco's expression slid from angry to his infamous smirk. He bent over, scooped up some snow, and compacted it into a perfectly round snowball.

I stopped laughing. My snowballs were never that nice and round… I was so jealous.

Draco's eyes narrowed and he gave me a wicked grin.

He threw the snowball at my head, and I barely ducked in time. I turned to him and stuck out my tongue childishly.

"Haha, you mi-" my sentence was cut short by a snowball to my face.

I dashed behind a tree as he started to make more (perfectly round) snowballs. I quickly made a small pile of round-ish snowballs.

I peered around the tree, but didn't see any sign of Draco. I waited, but he didn't show himself. Did he walk off? How rude.

"Spoilsport," I muttered to myself. I emerged from the protection of the tree, certain he had left.

A snowball whizzed by my ear, and another hit my shoulder.

I looked around and saw Draco emerge from a mound of snow he had hid behind. He was laughing. I grinned wolfishly and launched two consecutive snowballs. They both hit their mark.

Draco whipped out his wand, said a spell, and snowballs started throwing themselves at me. I dashed behind my tree, dodging snowballs as well as I could.

"That's cheating!" I yelled at him.

"All's fair in love and war!" he yelled back.

Two snowballs moved around the tree, sandwiching me in the head.

I laughed, picked up a snowball, threw it, and ran.

"Catch me if you can!" I squealed, running in zig-zags. I heard Draco running after me, laughing at my antics. He caught up to me pretty quickly, probably because he had longer legs than I did.

Draco practically tackled me into a snowdrift. We started laughing uncontrollably. All my pent-up anger melted with the snow in my hair.

We lay there for a while, catching our breaths in the little hole we made in the snow. I would get to the point where I wasn't laughing anymore, then start giggling uncontrollably.

"Are you finished yet?" Draco teased.

I giggled a bit more before drawing a deep breath, attempting to calm myself.

"Okay," I laughed, "I think I'm good."

Draco chuckled and then fell silent. I thought of something, suddenly.

"So, what's this?" I asked.

"What's what?" he asked back.

"Well, you said 'all's fair in love and war.' Which is this, love or war?" I explained my question.

"Oh, war, definitely. Can't you hear the bombs dropping and the soldiers fighting around us?" he teased.

I laughed and we lapsed into a comfortable silence. I started to feel the cold. my coat was covered in melting snow, as was my hair, boots, and wet jeans. I had lost my hat sometime during our snowball fight. I then realized how cold I was. My fingers, cheeks, and legs were numb.

I looked at Draco. His face was red from the cold, and parts of his wet hair frozen into ice.

Draco must have also been cold, because he suddenly got up and pulled me to my feet.

"Let's go inside and warm up," he offered.

I agreed, and we made our way back to the castle, a burning fire, and a cup of hot chocolate.


	10. Swore To Never Ever Leave You

**CHAPTER 10**

**Oh wow. This chapter was pretty late in coming. It was actually the hardest chapter I have wrote. I was halfway through it, then realized that Draco wasn't mature enough at this point, so I had to take a lot of stuff out. **

**Thanks to the few of you who reviewed. Hate to complain, but it's really weird that I get all these hits and views, but only a couple of people review. So thanks to those who did!**

**Also, I'm looking for a beta writer. I comb my chapters pretty thoroughly, so I don't really need it for grammar/spelling, but more along the lines of content. This person would need to get on the computer fairly often so I wouldn't have to wait forever before posting, and needs to be able to give good advice/criticism. And, she (I assume most of my readers are girls, but if I'm wrong, someone tell me XD) would be able to read the chapters before anyone else.**

**Anyway, so here's chapter 10. Enjoy!**

_Lost in a riddle that Saturday night, far away on the other side,  
he was caught in the middle of a desperate fight, and she couldn't find how to push through_

_--Groove Coverage_

"So," I asked, "why aren't you in Hogsmeade like everyone else?"

Draco and I were sitting side by side in the Slytherin common room, sipping hot chocolate we got from the kitchens, and sitting on a bed of cushions and blankets we had gathered. It was very comfy.

I wasn't quite sure if I was really _allowed_ to be in the Slytherin common room, but Draco assured me that no one would dare say anything as long as I was with him.

"I was in Hogsmeade earlier," he replied, "but I had to come back."

"Why?" I prodded.

He hesitated.

"I was talking to Weasley outside of the Shrieking Shack, and someone threw mud at me. I had to come back to take a bath and change clothes," he explained.

"Someone threw mud at you?" I asked. He probably deserved it, seeing as he never _just_ talked to any of the Weasleys, but still…

Draco shifted his eyes and shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, but I remembered how mad he had seemed before I started our snowball fight. I didn't think he was telling the whole story, but I let it drop.

"What about you?" he asked. "Why didn't you go and enjoy yourself at Hogsmeade?"

"Oh," I blushed scarlet, "I didn't get my permission form signed."

Draco frowned.

"You didn't get it signed? Like, on purpose? You didn't want to go?" he asked in disbelief.

I avoided his gaze. I didn't like talking about the orphanage, but I figured he would just make me tell him sooner or later anyway.

"I would need the headmistress at the orphanage to sign it, and I was afraid to go back. She wasn't exactly… happy that I decided to work at Borgin and Burkes last summer instead of slaving away there," I explained quietly.

"It's that bad there?" he asked. I nodded. "I guess it has to be pretty bad if you would rather work with that creepy guy that keeps staring at you than go back," he commented.

I looked up in surprise. I didn't know that he noticed that Borgin liked to stare at me. He was almost intolerable this past Christmas holiday. Draco nodded in understanding.

"I noticed," was all he said.

We were silent after that. I drank the rest of my hot chocolate and plopped down into the cushions.

Draco drained the contents of his cup and lay down beside me.

"I really missed you," I admitted after a moment. I turned my head to look at him. His icy blue eyes were staring at the ceiling.

"I missed you, too," he murmured quietly.

"It wasn't the same," I continued.

"No, it wasn't," he agreed.

"Why do you act so mean all the time?" I asked in curiosity.

Draco understood that I was referring to our argument back in September. He turned his head and looked me in the eyes.

"I don't know," was all he said.

I turned my head so I was staring at the ceiling. After a moment, Draco's gaze mimicked mine.

I knew I had a decision to make. Should I continue to be friends with Draco? Could I? I wasn't sure.

On one hand, he was an arrogant ass that was horrible to everyone and acted like he owned the place. Like he was better than others.

On the other hand, he was never mean to me. He was kind and sensitive and fun. He was dependable and understanding. He was my rock.

Could I endure the bad to enjoy the good?

I decided to just take it one day at a time, and see if I could get past his attitude.

Draco suddenly leapt to his feet, startling me. I started at him for his odd and random behavior.

"I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, excited. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"Forgot what?" I asked, amused.

Draco's face turned slightly pink. Was he, Draco Malfoy, actually _blushing_!?

"Ihaveasurpriseforyou," he said quickly.

"Really!? What kind of surprise? What for?" I interrogated.

"Your birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and I got you a present. I just haven't had the, er, opportunity to give it to you," he explained.

I was touched. I didn't expect him to even know when my birthday _was_, let alone get me a gift when we weren't talking to each other.

"Oh!" I squealed, hugging him tightly, "thank you!"

Draco laughed.

"Don't thank me before you've seen it!" he exclaimed. He didn't seem to mind me hugging him.

Cheeks burning, I let him go and allowed him to blindfold me (he insisted, saying it's "a surprise") and lead me. It felt strange to know I trusted him enough to let him lead me blindfolded.

We walked quite a while. I had no idea where we were going, except that we went up quite a bit.

After a while, Draco finally took off my blindfold. Hundreds of owls in a tall, circular room greeted me.

"Wow," I breathed. I had heard other students casually mention the owlry before, but had never had an opportunity or excuse to go here before. It was amazing.

Draco let me soak it all in before dragging me over to one corner of the owlry where two large Eagle Owls sat. They puffed out their chests regally.

Draco pulled two owl treats from his pocket. "This," Draco said, holding a treat to the slightly larger owl, "is Silverwing." The owl hooted softly and took the treat from him. "This one," he continued, giving the other owl a treat, "is now yours. Happy late birthday, Willow."

Too shocked and happy to speak, I threw myself at Draco, squeezing the life out of him. That done, I turned to my new owl with glee.

"I shall name you Zephyrus, after the Greek god of the west wind," I proclaimed delightfully.

Draco gave me a strange look, but I ignored it. Zephyrus hooted softly. I took that as a good sign.

When we came down from the owlry, I turned to Draco. My cheeks flushed crimson; suddenly I felt shy.

"Thank you. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," I admitted.

Draco placed his finger against my lips, shushing me.

"Not so loud!" he whispered. "People would think I'm growing soft."

I smiled. I had missed him so much.

Instead of going to the Great Hall for supper, we grabbed food from the kitchens again, returning to an empty Slytherin common room.

I was quite comfortable in my makeshift bed of pillows and blankets with the fire cackling merrily in front of me. I gave a sigh of content.

My comfort lulled me into a drowsy state. Draco asked me a question, but my fuzzy brain couldn't quite comprehend his words. I was asleep before he finished talking.

I dreamt that I was in a room with a pretty witch wearing canary yellow robes. The room was out of focus, like it was unimportant, but the witch was in perfect clarity. She had short, light brown curly hair with bright, honey brown eyes.

With a startled revelation, I realized that she could have been my mother. She had the same eyes, hair colour, and face structure as mine. But she didn't share my nose, chin, or frame.

Right now, she was looking at me like I was the best person in the world.

"So you'll do it? You'll help us?" she asked earnestly.

On their own accord, my lips turned up into a genuine smile.

"Yes, Helga," I assured her, "I'll do it, for you."

My voice sounded foreign to my ears. It was deeper. Male.

She squealed excitedly, and threw herself into my arms. I kissed the top of her head fondly.

Helga looked up into my eyes. Her face, and lips were coming closer and closer…

I awoke from my strange dream with a start. What the _bloody hell_ was that about?

I peered through the darkness, confused as to where I was. This didn't feel like my bed.

I felt a body breathing under me. Then I remembered falling asleep in the Slytherin common room, and realized that my head was lying on Draco's chest, who was fast asleep. I knew I couldn't leave, for it was well past curfew.

Mentally shrugging to myself, I went back into a slumber. This time, I didn't have any dreams.


	11. To Never Let You Out Of My Hands

**Chapter 11**

**Oh Mah Gir! I haven't updated in a couple weeks, and I'm soooo sorry! I had a hard time getting this chappie started, and then with the craziness of end of semester tests, I was distracted. Mom says schoolwork needs to be my No. 1 priority, and she's right. But (!), with the help of my new Beta Reader, the awesomely awesome corianderspice, I have this chapter out! Yay! And, since it's almost Xmas, I owe y'all a long chapter, so here it is! Also, I definitely thinking of doing a one shot Draco Malfoy version of A Christmas Carol. That should be up in a couple days. **

**Also, thanks to: **

**Satupilvi**

**mysterious-writer.x.x.  
silenaandbeckendorf4ever**

**Equify**

**Kuku-oni  
narniagirl18  
darkninjakitty10**

**iEmbarrass-DerbyHarrington  
**

**Kuroi Hihane**

**Autobot Greywind**

**tttt ()**

**x..x.x  
for reviewing and/or adding my story to your story alert or faves list. Only a few of you reviewed, though. Please please please review! **

**Also, one of you told me I spelled Sirius'** **name wrong, and I want to thank you. I'll get that fixed as soon as I have time.**

**Anywho, Enjoy!**

_Just open your eyes  
Just open your eyes  
And see that life is beautiful_

_Sixx: AM_

I felt similar to dirt. No, less than dirt as Draco's parents looked me up and down with disdain.

I had only just been introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, and I already wanted to leave and never come back.

"Draco," his father hissed, "come here for a moment."

They walked off, leaving me with Mrs. Malfoy who sniffed and turned her face from me, nose in the air. I didn't bother making conversation. Draco's parents obviously thought their son too good to be friends with me, an orphan witch with almost no money and unknown parentage.

I tried not to feel too hurt; Draco warned me his parents were very judgmental. I snorted inwardly. Like I couldn't have figured _that_ out by the way Draco behaved.

"You said I could take a friend, and I chose her!" he argued with his father, his voice louder than just a second ago.

Mr. Malfoy scowled at his son, but relented. I bet his parents were starting to regret spoiling their son his entire life.

I left the Malfoy Manor in high spirits that day. I was going with Draco and his parents to the Quidditch World Cup! I was so excited.

My enthusiasm lasted throughout the summer. I hummed and sang happily during chores, cooked elaborate meals every night (to Burke's delight), and even my strange dreams and Borgin's creepy stares didn't get me down.

"I wonder what I should pack..." I mused aloud to Draco two days before the world cup. I had already packed all my school things because I was going to spend the rest of the summer with Draco at his house.

"Well, clothes would be nice," he teased. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. I had already packed robes and muggle clothes.

Draco was hanging upside down from my bed reading the _Daily Prophet_. "I know! You could pack me!" he joked unhelpfully.

"Draco, I don't think you could fit in my trunk."

"Good point," he replied.

I ended up packing nearly everything I owned because I didn't want to have to send for things I may have forgotten. I was slightly paranoid...

Finally, the day arrived. I had stayed the night at the manor in one of the many guestrooms. We didn't need to get up very early because we were using side-along apparation, but after eight I was awake, unable to sleep.

So I got up, took a bath and got dressed in a new pair of jeans and a T-shirt with a light yellow hoodie. Mrs. Malfoy had bought them for me when we went shopping for muggle clothes earlier that week. She wasn't sure where or how muggles shopped, so she needed my assistance. We bonded a little while we shopped and she had taken a liking to me.

I knock came from the doorway. I turned to see Draco leaning against the wall with a smirk on his lips.

"You're up early," he said.

"Good morning to you, too," I replied sarcastically. I pulled my long hair into a ponytail so it was out of my face.

Draco was wearing expensive darkwash jeans, green sneakers, and a dark green hoodie that complimented his eyes. I liked the colour green on him...

"Excited?" Draco asked, bringing me from my thoughts.

"Of course!" I exclaimed, jumping from the bed and walking over to him. Draco chuckled.

"Let's go get breakfast," he offered.

I nodded enthusiastically, suddenly aware of how hungry I was.

An hour and a half later, we were finally ready to go. Mr. Malfoy was taking Draco, and Sissy, as she told me to call her, was taking me.

With a shaky hand, I grasped onto Sissy's arm as we apparated. It wasn't very comfortable, and I instantly regretted my breakfast. Fortunately, the feeling lasted but a moment, and with a loud _crack_, we landed in the middle of a clearing. Sissy quickly ushered me away, and Draco and Mr. Malfoy apparated with another _crack_.

"Ah, Lucius," a ministry wizard with graying hair greeted us. "Right on time, I see." He checked something on his clipboard. "Now you just need to pay the Muggle that runs the campsite, and you're good to go. Enjoy the match!"

The ministry wizard left us and greeted some new arrivals. Mr. Malfoy looked at me sharply and beckoned me over. Surprised, I complied. I looked back at Draco, but he just shrugged.

"You, girl," he addressed me. he held out a fistful of paper Muggle money and shoved it into my hands. "You know how to use this, right?"

I nodded.

"Then go pay the Muggle," he ordered.

The Muggle's name was Mr. Roberts, and he was slightly disoriented as if he was confounded (Which he probably was, actually). I paid him and returned to the Malfoys with $50 left over and a map of the campsite.

"Here's the rest," I said holding out the money.

"Oh, just keep it," Sissy said nonchalantly. "We wouldn't know what to do with it anyway."

Delighted to be $50 richer, I followed them to our campsite in high spirits. Along the way, we saw students and their families, foreign witches and wizards wearing strange clothing, and many tents blatantly supported Ireland with shamrocks all over them.

Our tent was the largest I could see. It was huge and white with "Property of the Malfoys" etched in gold thread above the tent flap.

"Well, here's our home away from home," Sissy said brightly.

The inside was even bigger than the outside suggested (obviously enchanted). It had three separate bedrooms with king sized beds, a kitchen, dining room, living room complete with a fireplace, and pristine shag carpet.

"This one's only our second largest," Draco remarked at my stunned expression.

"Wow," I managed in a strangled voice. Draco looked quite pleased with himself, reminding me of how much he likes to show off.

"You'll be sleeping here," he said, dragging me over to a part of the tent that sectioned off with soft yellow hangings. It was twice as large as my room at Borgin and Burkes.

The comforter on the bed was Hufflepuff yellow and the fabric on the chair and the soft rug was a pale yellow. It was like staying in a luxury hotel.

Draco's room was the same, although a little larger and in Slytherin green.

After the tour, Draco proclaimed loudly that he was bored.

"Well," I replied, "we have an hour before the match. What do you want to do?"

"Let's go see what the vendors are selling," he offered. Having no better idea, I agreed.

I had brought all my earnings with me, but could only spend a fraction of it or I would not be able to afford school supplies.

The vendors had all kinds of things: miniature quidditch players that moved about, tiny flying brooms, flags that sang the anthem of the playing teams, magical hats, Omnioculars, and many, many other things.

"How much?" I asked for a pretty sash that had shamrocks all over it that changed colour and tallied the score of the match at the hem. Right now it said: Ireland: 0, Bulgaria: 0 in gold thread.

"Two galleons," the saleswizard answered.

It was a little above my budget, so I had to leave it there.

I was a little put out, but told myself that I didn't need it anyway. Draco, however, bought almost one of everything they were selling. He was giddy as a little kid at Christmas.

We got back to the campsite with fifteen minutes to spare.

"Here," Draco said suddenly and pushed the sash I had wanted into my hands.

"Draco, you didn't have to," I gasped.

He shrugged. "I know. Just think of it as an early birthday present."

"Thank you!" I said and tied it around my waist.

Just then, Mr. Malfoy and a shifty looking wizard emerged from the tent. They were speaking in hushed whispers and stopped when they saw us. The unknown wizard looked at me warily, muttered something into Mr. Malfoy's ear, who nodded, and the wizard apparated away.

"The match is about to start. Let's go," he said in a neutral, unexcited tone. I wondered if he only had three emotions: Disapproval, neutral, and anger. I definitely hadn't seen him any other way.

Sissy emerged from the tent, and we set off for the stadium. Our seats were in the top box. The Malfoys contributed a large amount of money to St. Mungos, the wizarding hospital, so we were there as the minister's guests.

We were almost to to top when a large man pushed his way pas us, causing me to lose my balance and fall down several steps to the landing. I landed on my ankle wrong, and instantly pain stemmed from it.

"Willow!" Draco shouted with concern. "Are you all right?"

Clenching my jaw and refusing to cry, I attempted to stand. Draco helped me to my feet. My ankle was beginning to swell and I couldn't put any weight on it.

"It's not _too_ bad," I said, wincing as I moved my ankle gingerly. "It's just a sprain."

"Hey! What's the hold up!?" A wizard shouted from a landing below. I had forgotten about the people behind us. We were blocking the way.

"Shut your mouth!" A nearby wizard shouted to the other. "Someone's hurt."

Just then, a short witch pushed her way through the crowd with a white med kit in hand.

"What happened?" she demanded, all business.

"Some bloke was in such a damned hurry and pushed her down the stairs," Draco answered angrily.

The witch clicked her tongue against her teeth in irritation and conjured a floating stretcher for me to get into.

"You go and watch the match," I told the Malfoys. "I'll find you later."

Draco nodded reluctantly and left with his parents. Sissy's face contorted into a sneer when she saw the wizard who pushed me sitting in his seat.

The witch treated me when we were on solid ground by feeding me a strange potion that tasted like paper while she rambled on about how careless people were. Apparently, I wasn't the first person to get hurt by over-excited viewers.

By the time my ankle was healed and I got back to the match, Ireland was up 30 to 0.  
I noticed the Weasleys, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger down a ways and two rows up, but they were too focused on the match to notice me.

I sat between Draco and Sissy and he filled me in on the match, shouting loudly over the cheering crowd.

As time went on, the players were getting more and more violent, but I could hardly steer my eyes away from the zooming figures on the field. I was just as excited as everyone else. Then, the Bulgaria seeker tricked Ireland's seeker, sending him crashing into the ground, resulting in a hushed din of anxiety that settled over the crowd as the seeker was attended to.

That's when a pair of dark blue eyes caught my attention. I turned sharply to see George Weasley staring at me with confusion written on his face. His eyes caught mine and he grinned and winked at me when my face turned scarlet. Frowning, I turned back around with a swish of my ponytail.

The Irish seeker finally got to his feet, and the crowd cheered with new enthusiasm. Draco looked at me strangely.

"Why are you blushing?" he asked in my ear.

I avoided his gaze. "I'm not blushing, I'm hot," I lied.

He looked like he didn't quite believe me, but Ireland scored again and his attention was turned back to the match. Then Ireland was awarded a penalty and the leprechauns darted together to form the words "HA, HA, HA!" Soon, the veela on the other side of the field started to dance. Draco stuck his fingers in his ears, but watched with avid attention. Then, the referee fell under their spell, so someone went out and kicked him, snapping him out of it. He then ordered the veela off the field. The veela and the Bulgarian chasers were upset (as well as some of the crowd) and started arguing with the referee.

Eventually, after awarding a penalty to the Irish, the Bulgarian players got back into the game. The leprechauns darted together to form a rude signal (i.e. the finger) at the veela, who then started throwing what look like fire balls and started fighting with the leprechauns. The veela now looked anything but beautiful as their faces contorted to resemble birds.

Above, the match continued on despite the distraction.

I glanced up just in time to see the Bulgarian seeker, Vicktor Krum, finally catch the snitch and ending the game. There was a moment's pause before the crowd realized exactly what happened before exploding into cheers. The final score was Ireland: 170, Bulgaria: 160.

It was hard to get to sleep that night. Everyone was celebrating loudly with fireworks, alcohol, and loud music. Even Mr. Malfoy celebrated a little, sharing wine with his wife and a couple friends.

Eventually, the celebrations ceased, allowing me to fall asleep.


	12. Nothing Here Could Ever Change This

**CHAPTER 12**

**Hey everyone!!!! How have my wonderful readers been!!??**

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**Anyway, here's chapter 12. Enjoy!**

_The only thing I say  
I am afraid right now  
What if I can't get out?  
What if I don't want to be saved?  
This is me afraid_

_--Yellowcard_

I wasn't asleep for very long when Draco started to shake me awake urgently.

"Whaa?" I mumbled groggily.

"We need to go, now!" he urged and shoved my clothes at me.

"What's going on?" I asked, alarmed.

"Death Eaters are out for a little fun," he explained quietly. "We need to act as if we're just as surprised as everyone else."

I didn't have to act. I _was_ surprised. However, I didn't question him, but my mind was buzzing with things I wanted to ask him as I silently put my clothes on, our backs turned against each other.

"I'm decent," I said once I was finished.

He grabbed my hand and whispered for me to follow him. I didn't see his parents anywhere and I started to get scared. This was serious.

Draco pulled me through the maze of tents and into the surrounding forest. It wasn't long before the smell of smoke reached us, and screams sounded soon after.

"Don't worry about it," he said as we stopped by a gap in the trees, "No one is expected to get hurt."

Masked wizards with hooded black robes were marching through the campsite burning tents and causing panic. High above the ground, four muggles were floating, terrified, while the wizards down below controlled them like puppeteers.

"They're just reminding everyone that the Death Eaters aren't gone. We're still around," he informed me happily. I shuddered when he said "we," instead of "they."

Then, people started fleeing into the forest and screaming. Suddenly, Draco told me to hide in some bushes.

"What? Why?" I asked, alarmed.

"Just do it," he hissed and pushed me down.

I didn't have much time to adjust myself and my leg happened to be sticking out. Before I could pull it in, someone tripped over my let. It hurt, and I was sure it was going to leave a bruise. I quickly pulled my leg in, rubbing the bruised area.

The person I tripped yelled in pain when he crashed into the ground.

"What happened?" asked a female voice anxiously.

I looked up at Draco through the brambles of the bush, but he only stared at the campsite through the gap in the trees. He looked totally relaxed.

"Ron, where are you? Oh, this is stupid—_Lumos_!" The girl, who I now recognized as Hermione Granger, lit her wand and pointed the light at Ron Weasley, who was sprawled on the ground.

"Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily and got up. He didn't realize he had tripped over my leg.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," Draco drawled.

They turned sharply and I saw that Harry Potter was with them.

Weasley cursed at Draco.

"Language, Weasley," he said, his pale eyes glittering.

"Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like _her_ spotted, would you?"

He inclined his head at Granger, and at the same moment, a loud blast sounded from the campsite and a flash of green lit up the forest around us.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked defiantly.

"Granger, they're after _Muggles_," he sneered. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

"Hermione's a witch," Potter snarled.

"Have it your own way, Potter," Draco grinned maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

"Watch your mouth," Weasley shouted.

"Nevermind, Ron," Granger said quickly and seized his arm as he took a step toward Draco. I gripped my wand tighter, ready if it came to a fight.

A loud bang came from the other side of the trees and several people nearby screamed. Draco chuckled softly.

"Scare easily, don't they?" he said lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to—trying to rescue the Muggles?"

Potter looked angry.

"Where're _your_ parents? Out there wearing masks, are they?" he accused.

Draco's smile didn't fade. "Well… if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"

Granger threw a disgusted look at Draco and said, "Oh, come on, let's go find the others."

"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," Draco sneered.

"Come _on_," she repeated and pulled the glowering boys up the path again.

The moment they disappeared from sight, Draco pulled me up and our of the bushes.

"Lemme see your leg," he ordered.

"It's just a bruise," I protested, but rolled up my pant leg for him to take a look.

It was fairly large and nasty looking, but only a bruise. I would live.

Draco poked it.

"Ow!" I screamed in surprise and pain. "Jerk…" I muttered.

Draco's lips twitched into a small smile.

At that moment, another loud explosion sounded nearby, closer than the last one. More screams filled the air.

"Come on, we'd better go," he said casually. "We have to meet my parents somewhere." I was slightly amazed by how calm he was. But then I reminded myself that his parents probably _were_ out there with masks, and he knew this was going to happen.

We made our way up a different path than the one that Potter and Co. took, Draco obviously wanting to avoid another confrontation.

As we walked, the screams and bangs became more muffled by the forest, but not inaudible. We saw a couple groups of people here and there, but they paid us no mind.

Suddenly, Draco came to a complete stop causing me to run into him.

"Oof!" I said as we collided. "What did you stop for?" I whined, rubbing my nose.

"Oi, what's this?" a male voice said.

I peered around Draco to see some students who went to our school. There was Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley huddled in a circle looking shaken, but otherwise unharmed, a girl with light blonde hair who I thought to be a Ravenclaw, and two other boys. One was the captain of the Griffindor Quidditch team (I couldn't remember his name), and the other was maybe a Ravenclaw, but I didn't recognize him.

"It's little Malfoy," the possible Ravenclaw drawled. Everyone glared at him evilly.

Draco snorted. "I don't have time for you." He grabbed my hand and attempted to push us past them, but the two older boys stepped in our way.

"Don't have time for us? Oh, Dracy-poo, I'm hurt," he mocked. The other guy just stood there, stone-faced.

"Where do you need to go in such a hurry?" Fred Weasley asked, glaring.

George Weasley's gaze turned to me, catching my eyes before I looked away. My stomach gave a strange lurch and my head jumped in my throat. My face flushed with heat as Draco glanced between him and me.

"It's none of your business," Draco sneered, retorting to the question/accusation. "Now move," he said dangerously.

"Why?" the Quidditch captain asked, his eyes glittering.

Wood! That was his name. Oliver Wood. He was quite good looking, but I didn't like the way he glared at Draco.

"Going to help your Death Eater parents, I suppose?" Wood added.

"Also none of your business," Draco replied curtly. "Now let us through."

"You're not going anywhere," the other boy snarled, drawing his wand.

In a flash, everyone's wands, including mine, were drawn and pointing at each other. They, including Draco, looked surprised. I was a little surprised myself, to be honest.

"We haven't done anything to you, so let us through," I said calmly.

They looked at me warily, trying to decide if I was a threat or not. Everyone always seemed to underestimate me, and sometimes it worked to my advantage.

We were saved from a fight because just then, everyone's attention was adverted to the sudden green light that lit up the forest around us. I looked up at the source like everyone else and there, up in the sky, hovered a formation of glittering stars that, combined, formed the Dark Mark. It was a huge skull with a slithering serpent that went through the mouth and out the eye socket.

Screams tore throughout the forest as people saw it and were gripped with fear. In the old days, the Dark Mark meant someone was murdered, but I hoped that wasn't the case tonight. Draco said no one was supposed to get hurt.

I tore my eyes away from it to look at Draco who resembled a gaping fish as he stared at the mark in the sky with disbelief.

"Draco?" I murmured nervously.

He snapped out of his trance and looked at me with wide, fearful eyes.

"We need to go!" he exclaimed suddenly. He grabbed my hand and pulled us up the trail. This time, no one tried to stop us.

"Draco, what's going on!?" I asked, scared.

"I don't know," he replied grimly. "Whoever did this is going to be in huge trouble. We need to go meet my parents."

I remained silent as we tromped through the woods. After a little while, we no longer saw anyone.

The trail ended into a little clearing. At the far end, there was an iron bench that was painted fire engine red and had vines growing up the sides. The grass looked like it hadn't been cut for a very long time. It was oddly peaceful, and besides the bench, looked nearly untouched.

"Well, this is where they told me to come," Draco said. "Now we just have to wait for them, although they should have been here by now." He failed to keep the irritation out of his voice.

We made our way over to the bench and sat down. I leaned my head against Draco's shoulder and I was suddenly exhausted and tired.

An hour later, they still had not come for us. I was shivering a little. It wasn't extremely cold, but cold enough that we were uncomfortable in merely hoodies and jeans.

"Come here," Draco said. I scooted closer and he pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. His hands covered mine in an attempt to keep them warm.

"What's taking them so long?" I asked. I stuck my nose against his chest to try to warm it up. We would probably get sick because of this.

"I don't know," Draco replied, "but they are _so_ going to have to make it up. Which means we can go shopping."

I smiled slightly. I liked shopping.

Half an hour later, I was dozing on Draco when a loud _crack_ startled me awake. Sissy and Mr. Malfoy looked tired.

"It's about bloody time!" Draco said angrily, getting up. I wish he hadn't. He was warm.

"I'm sorry Draco," Sissy doted. "We had an emergency meeting with… er, some of your father's friends. We'll make it up to you."

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. I pried my frozen, numb butt from the cold bench and took Sissy's hand.

Then, with a loud _crack_, we were gone.


	13. A Promise Till The Living End

CHAPTER 13

**Hey! Hai! How are you? I'm good, just a little tired. I had 8 reviews for last chapter. Thanks to the 8 of you who reviewed! As for the rest of you… well, I just wont go there. It's not hard to review: you just click the little button and type a bit. It doesn't have to be long, just something. I want to know if you thought it was good/bad, if it made you laugh/cry/angry/happy/depressed or if you like or don't like the way I write or wrote something. Just SOMETHING.**

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**Anyway, here's Chapter 13. Enjoy!**

_And I'll take you for who you are  
If you take me for everything  
And do it all over again  
It's all the same  
_

_--Sick Puppies_

"Dress robes!?" I asked after looking at our school list. "What do we need dress robes for?"

"For formal occasions," Sissy replied airily.

I looked back at our chessboard. Draco's knight was currently bashing one of my pawns. He then proceeded to drag it to the edge of the table and push him off.

"So we'll have to go shopping tomorrow!" Sissy announced gleefully. I groaned inwardly. We had already been shopping at least fifteen times. I was all shopped out.

We hadn't seen Mr. Malfoy since the World Cup because he worked for the ministry and they were very busy right now, and with more than just the World Cup. Draco said something special was going to happen this year, but wouldn't tell me what. He liked to know things when others didn't. I didn't care very much, so I didn't press him.

Sissy rambled on about how she had already shopped all her regular stores and they wouldn't have any new lines until the fall.

"Maybe I'll try some muggle stores," she pondered. Draco made a face. "As stupid as they are, I have seen some very fashionable muggles. Just don't tell your father."

The next day Sissy roused us early for shopping. First was Diagon Alley for school supplies and dress robes. Sissy insisted she pay for my things, too. I was grateful; now I could buy Draco a birthday present.

Draco didn't want to look at dress robes with us, so he went to look at brooms instead. Sissy picked his out. It was black with a high collar and made from velvet. I wasn't too keen on it, but Sissy loved it, so I kept my mouth shut.

My dress robes were a soft yellow with black trim and a black sash. They were simple, pretty, and inexpensive: just how I liked it.

Sissy told me to wait outside while she bought the items.

I stepped out into the sunshine and almost ran into Draco.

"Bloody hell, Draco, you scared me!" I exclaimed as I clutched my chest.

"Oh, well, not my fault you weren't paying attention."

I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway," he continued, "an owl dropped off a letter for you." He handed it to me and I opened it. It was from Burke.

Come see me before you leave.

Burke

That was… short, I thought to myself. I showed Draco who looked as puzzled as me. He told his mom where we were going and we made our way through the bustling Diagon Alley and into the deserted, colder Knockturn Alley.

I maneuvered my way through the streets like an old pro, much to the amusement of my present company.

Burke was waiting for us when we entered. He had a manila folder in one hand and a white box with knife holes under his arm.

"Ello Burke," I greeted and kissed him on the cheek.

"None of that, missy. You'll turn this old bear soft," he chided good naturedly. "I have somethin' for yeh," he said excitedly (well, as excitedly as he could be, anyway) and handed me the box. I looked at it dumbly for a moment before Burke motioned for me to open it.

I took off the lid and suddenly something slithered out and onto the floor.

It was a small white snake with big yellow eyes. I leaned down to look at him. I would never have thought that a snake could look scared, but this one did. He was only a baby.

"It's okay," I murmured, "no one is going to hurt you."

He looked at me for a moment.

"You speak like me," he hissed.

I realized I must have spoken in parseltongue. I smiled and held out my arm to the little snake. He hesitated and flicked his forked tongue out, but decided I was all right and slithered up my arm.

I stroked his scaly body softly. "Thank you, Burke! He's so cute!" I beamed at him.

"What are you going to name it?" Draco asked, speaking for the first time.

I thought for a moment.

"Spoons," I said.

"What?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"Spoons. I dub him Spoons," I repeated.

Draco just rolled his eyes and muttered something about "weird-assed women."

"There's somethin' else," Burke interrupted and handed me the manila folder with slightly shaking hands.

I opened it and pulled out the documents. They were my papers from the orphanage. Why does Burke have them? I flipped through them until I came to the last document. It was a certificate of adoption.

My breath caught and for a moment I couldn't breathe. It said, right there in black and white, that I was now Willow Laurie Burke.

My eyes welled up with tears and I threw myself at Burke, almost knocking him over. Spoons hissed in protest and slithered up to my shoulder.

"Thank you so much!" I sobbed.

Burke patted my back awkwardly. After a few moments, I pulled away and wiped the tears from my face.

"Now no more lovey-dovey stuff. You still work for me, but now I don't have to pay yeh," he said.

I laughed and shrugged. I didn't care.

"Hey, Willow," Draco said excitedly, "this means he can sign your permission form!"

"Oh, yeah!" I realized. "I'll go get it."

Burke signed it and handed it back to me.

"We should get going. Mum will be waiting for us," Draco reminded.

I said goodbye to Burke and we met up with Sissy in Diagon Alley. I excitedly told her what happened and showed her Spoons.

"Um, that's… er…. nice," she had said, refusing to go near the snake.

"Scary people," Spoons hissed in my ear shyly.

"She's actually afraid of you," I whispered to him with a chuckle. "Lots of people are afraid of snakes." He didn't say anything but looked thoughtful. He was a very expressive snake.

Then, because Sissy was dead set on shopping, we went to Gringotts to exchange Wizard's money for Muggle money. I explained three times how Muggle money worked before giving up and resolving to do the paying.

"Don't tell your father," she told Draco again.

A house elf came for our things (I had to persuade Spoons to go with it. He's so cuuute!) and then I called for a Taxi. Sissy and Draco were not keen on Muggle transportation, but I didn't think aparating so close to a Muggle mall was such a good idea.

So we went to the mall, and we went shopping. Draco kept complaining that he was bored, so Sissy gave him money for food and he happily went to the food court. I saw several Muggle girls look at him with interested eyes, but he paid them no attention.

Then, Sissy spotted a Victoria Secret store, and all hell broke loose. Well, not really, but she got really excited.

"They don't sell underwear like this in the wizarding stores," she explained to me quietly. She grabbed everything she liked and placed them in a pile. The employee looked suspicious.

"Trust me, I'd be surprised if she didn't buy everything in the store," I told her, only half joking. She was suddenly very eager to help us.

Then she discovered the lingerie. The sales attendant was surprised Sissy didn't know what lingerie was and explained the purpose of it. The next half hour was spent watching her model sheer, sexy lingerie (she actually had a very gorgeous body). Every time she came out, she was wearing a different piece. She told the girl which ones she liked and sometimes asked my opinion.

She had a black corset top with little pink bows on that pushed up her breasts with matching underwear when Draco peered around the corner to see if we were done yet.

"Oh! Mother!" Draco cried and placed his hands over his eyes. "I'm blind!" he squealed.

Sissy and I looked at each other and busted up laughing. Even the sales girl giggled.

"Well, that's a keeper!" I managed through fits of laughter.

Barely breathing, Sissy went back into the dressing room and changed into the dress she had bought earlier.

"Now we just need to get you a little something," she spoke gleefully.

"Oh, no," I said, but, despite my protests, half an hour later we emerged with a bag full of underwear and lingerie.

We exited the store and, not wanting to take the Taxi again, Sissy had another house elf take our stuff and apparated me and then Draco back to the Manor in a deserted side street.

At dinner, I asked Sissy something I had been holding in all day.

"Sissy?"

"Yes, dear?" she inquired, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

"Could you bring me to the orphanage tomorrow? I need to get something," I said.

"Oh, sure," she answered, surprised.

There really wasn't much there, but there was something special I had to get.

We had to take Muggle transportation, much to Sissy's displeasure. She wanted to apparate, but had never been there before. She kept muttering complaints under her breath about slow Muggle contraptions.

I stared out the window to hide my amusement.

The closer we got to the little town, the more my stomach starts to knot up. I hadn't been here in a while. Not properly, anyway.

The town hadn't changed at all. There was the small grocery store, animal shelter, and ruins of the old orphanage.

We finally pulled up in front of the orphanage. Sissy looked at the run down building and decided she would rather wait in the car.

I didn't bother knocking, I just went in. The first thing that hit me was the smell. It smelled like cats and dirt. I looked at the floor; no one had cleaned in what looked like forever and dust coated its surface.

The light was very poor, but I knew my way around well enough. I walked quickly to my old room and grabbed what I had come for: a silver locket with a family crest on the outside, and pictures of a man and a woman, who I presumed to be my parents, on the inside.

I wanted to leave then, but something was wrong. The house seemed too quiet. Eerie, almost. I stroked Spoons' head softly and he flicked his tongue out. He was curled up in the pocket of my vest.

I was almost out the door when the headmistress stepped from her office and blocked my way. Her eyes were unfocused and she swayed a bit. She smelled of alcohol.

"_You_," she said once she recognized me. "This is all _your_ fault. How _dare_ you show your face!"

She had her finger pointing in my face, but quickly removed it to steady herself on the wall so she wouldn't fall over.

Then it clicked in my head.

"Where are the other children?" I asked. There used to be at least a dozen of us.

"They're gone! And it's all because of _you_!" she screamed at me.

"Gone where?" I demanded, suddenly afraid for them. If she hurt them…

"Social workers took 'em. Said it wasn't fit to live here. Too dirty, unsanitary." She stomped her foot, which caused dirt to float into the air. She started coughing.

I didn't say anything.

"This…is…all…your…fault," she said between coughs.

She went to grab me but Spoons slithered out of my pocket and up to my shoulder and hissed at her.

She was deathly afraid of snakes.

Her eyes grew wide and she flung herself away from me.

"I knew it! I _knew_ it!" she exclaimed. "You're the Devil's child! I should have left you to die, especially after what that woman said when she brought you!"

"What woman?" I asked. "You told me I was dropped on the doorstep!"

She laughed. "Of course I wasn't going to tell you the truth. It was too bizarre." She shuddered.

"_What_? What happened?" I demanded anxiously.

"Well, I guess I could tell you now…"

"Tell me," I hissed, sounding very much like Spoons.

She laughed uneasily. "Very well, then. If you really want to know." She paused for dramatic effect, then continued. "Your aunt brought you. She didn't want anything to do with you. She was in such a state. So distressed! She was going to drop you off and leave, but I convinced her to tell me the tale, sure that it couldn't be that bad."

She gave a humourless laugh.

"She said your parents, her sister and brother in law, burned in a fire; the whole house went up in flames! But the weird thing: you were just a baby, barely two months old, and you survived. Everything was burned to a crisp, except you, your crib, and a little patch of wood flooring it stood on."

"No one knows how the fire started, but your aunt wanted nothin' to do with you. She said you was a Devil child, and I suppose she was right," she said, eyeing Spoons. "I tried to stamp the evil out of you, but nothing worked. You're evil! _Evil!_" She screeched at me.

I stood there in shock, unable to move from the news. Then the headmistress started laughing drunkenly for no reason, and I took the opportunity to push past her and flee.


	14. I Swore I'd Never Stray From You

**CHAPTER 14**

**Yay! Chapter 14! And it didn't take me a month this time! I'm so good to you guys X)**

**Okay, so now I'm going to list all who reviewed and reply to their comments/questions:**

**Allimba: **Thanks! And no, Willow is not Harry's sister, and Voldy is not her dad.

**DracoMalfoy4Ever: **Thanks for the review! And as to if Willow is related to Harry at all, I'm not sure yet. I have her parantage already down and planned out, but I'm not sure if the family she comes from is related to Harry or not. If they are, it's not a big thing in the story and it would be on James' side.

**Monkeyillusion: **Thank you!

**IceCreamDragon: **-loves your name- Thank you for such a nice, long review! I've gotten quite a few comments on how people like that Draco is only nice to Willow. I try to keep him in character as much as possible but still likeable. I don't want to give away too much of what I'm planning, but I'll tell you that Willow does eventually end up with Draco. That's why it's a DracoXOC fanfic! Lol. But I want to make the characters as real as possible, and even in the origional Harry Potter, the characters dated others before ending up with who they did. So please keep reading even if you don't like something for the time being. It wont stay that way for long! I'm kind of flying through the years until I get to the 5th, 6th, and 7th years where the best stuff happens.

**CorianderSpice: **I loves you!

**Narniagirl18: **Thank you!

**Sam: **Thanks for the review! It'll be a while before you find out about her parantage, though. =)

**silenaandbeckendorf4ever: **=D yes, I did! And I'm updating again! Right now!! And as to who her aunt is, I'm not telling! But it's not Petunia or anything like that. I donno if people where thinking that or not. Petunia only had one sister, Lily, who died. So… yeah. Thanks for the review!!

**So, thank you for reviewing! It's because of you that I got this chappie put out so soon. Half of this chapter is kind of just filler, but I couldn't continue without it… soo… yeah.**

**I am thinking about starting a Will of the Willow page on Facebook… If ya'll think that's a good idea, message me about it. I'm thinking that I'll want at least 7 messages or reviews about it before I actually do. That way I can answer your questions right away and tell you how close I am to updating. **

**Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!**

_I wish you were near me  
Could feel it when you hear me say  
I'd die again for you  
--Smile Empty Soul_

The sight of the Hogwarts Express rolling into Platform 9 3/4 was bitter-sweet for me.

Sweet in the thought of going back to school, bitter in the fact that I knew Draco would revert back to his regular self. The thought saddened me. I didn't like him when he was like that. He seemed so mean and shallow and... fake.

After giving goodbyes to Draco's parents, we boarded the Hogwarts express. Almost like magnets Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle found Draco as soon as he stepped foot on the train.

"This summer we went to the World Cup. The Bulgarians played well, but the Irish won, of course. We sat in the top box..." he drabbled on about his summer. They had already heard all this before, but when Draco talked about it, everyone listened.

"...Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore—the man's such a mudblood-lover—and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to a school so far away. Father says that Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually _learn_ them, not just the defense rubbish we do," he ranted.

I remembered the day Mr. Malfoy and Sissy argued about sending Draco to Durmstrang. They had been locked in Mr. Malfoy's study for the entire night. Draco didn't mind as much as he was letting on. He told me that British girls were better than "Northern" girls, whatever that meant.

Draco's posse soaked up every word. Well, I take that back. I doubted weather if Crabbe and Goyle soaked up _anything_.

So I followed them to the compartment, but I didn't listen anymore. Instead, I buried my face in a romance novel. I didn't look up from my book until Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle started to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To get something off the trolley," he replied, but with the glint in his eye I knew they were going to go bully someone. I sighed and immersed myself back into my book.

Once they were gone, Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girl, whose name I never bothered to learn, started to glare at me. I tried to ignore them, but found that it was impossible.

"What?" I snapped.

"Oh, nothing," she said offhandedly, but continued to glare.

"Look, whatever it is, just spit it out instead of sitting there looking like a constipated monkey," I said. I was starting to get annoyed, but I had startled myself with my short temper. I've been spending too much time with Draco, I thought. His bad attitude was starting to rub off on me.

Pansy made a face but didn't comment on it. "You're just so… plain. And yet, Draco still likes you. I don't get it," she fumed.

I rolled my eyes.

"We're only friends, so he doesn't care about how I look. If you want him, you can have him," I told her. "It's not like I have a claim to him or something." Almost as soon as I said the words, I had the oddest feeling that I wished I hadn't. It was strange, very strange.

"But don't you see the way he _looks_ at you?" the other girl asked. Pansy elbowed her in the side.

"If they're only friends, then it doesn't matter," she hissed at the girl angrily, thinking I wouldn't hear.

"Well, that's wonderful!" Pansy exclaimed loudly. It didn't really make sense, but she didn't give me time to dwell on what she said. "So, since you have the inside scoop, what does he like?" she grilled.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. I was also still pondering about what the other girl had let slip. Draco looks at me in a certain way? Looks at me differently, perhaps? I wasn't sure.

"Like, what does he like in a girl?" she asked leaning foreword eagerly.

I hadn't the faintest idea. What _did_ he like?

"I don't know… We never really talk about it…" They looked disappointed. "But I'm sure I could ask him sometime," I said to appease them.

"Great!" Pansy chirped, looking excited. "So I guess we're friends now!"

"Er… I guess so…" I said uncomfortably. I had the feeling that I was making the wrong group of friends.

Better than no friends, I sighed to myself.

Thankfully, the boys came back, so I was spared the third degree.

Throughout the rest of the train ride, I tried to catch Draco looking at me, but I didn't see anything different.

It was pouring rain when the train stopped. Everyone headed to the horseless carriages with their heads bent and their hands shielding their faces. I gave a fleeting thought to Spoons and Zephrys, hoping they were okay.

The steps of the carriage were slick with rain and my foot slipped. I would have ended up sprawled in the mud if Draco had not grabbed my by the waist and hauled me into the carriage.

"Thanks," I said, blushing. For some strange reason, I was unable to look him in the eyes. Instead, I looked around the carriage to see no one else. We were alone.

"What happened to-" I started.

"We lost them in the weather," he answered nonchalantly.

He then grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his icy blue eyes.

"You know, you still haven't given me a birthday present…" he murmured in a husky voice.

I wanted to make a sarcastic comment about how his birthday wasn't for another two weeks, but the words caught in my throat and I was unable to say anything. I noticed that his other hand hadn't moved from my waist.

And then he kissed me.

His lips were soft and tasted like rain. I was in a state of shock and just sat there, unmoving.

Draco's hands moved through my hair, mussing my wet hair. He pushed my head closer. After a second, I kissed him back.

It felt like my whole body was tingling and my lips were hyper-sensitive. It felt wonderful, like I was walking on air.

He suddenly pulled away, leaving me gasping for air. He smirked.

"Thanks," he whispered. His voice was barely audible over the roaring of the wind and rain outside.

"For what?" I whispered back. My mind was having a hard time concentrating, as if I was confounded.

"For my birthday present," he grinned.

The carriage jolted to a stop and in a dazed state, I stepped down to the muddy ground. I still couldn't get over the kiss.

My first kiss.

And Draco stole it.

I couldn't decide if I was okay with that or not. We weren't dating, and it didn't mean we were now dating. It was all very confusing. Why did he kiss me?

I was still in shock when we entered the school, until Peeves dropped a water balloon on me, getting me completely soaked. I gasped and sputtered as students laughed and Peeves cackled.

Professor Flitwick came by and dried me off with a spell, and we entered the Great Hall. It was a while before the first years made it across the lake, and when they entered, they were sopping wet.

Then the hat gave its song (I've always loved the sorting hat's songs) and the sorting began.

Finally, after almost twenty minutes, the last first year was sorted.

"Whitby, Kevin!" Professor McGonagall called.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" roared the sorting hat, and Kevin came over to our table and everyone clapped and cheered.

Professor McGonagall then picked up the hat and stool and carried it away. Then Professor Dumbledore stood and everyone got quiet.

"I have two words to say to you. _Tuck in_."

The empty dishes on the tables filled magically in front of us. I filled my plate and ate with one hand and read with the other. Fortunately, my book was dried along with my clothes.

"What are you reading?" asked the boy next to me. I looked up from my book to see Cedric Diggory.

I smiled at him. He was nice and a seventh year. He had helped me with my transfiguration homework once.

"It's a romance novel about a witch and a man who gets bitten by a werewolf. It's very good, and I'm almost finished with it," I said.

"That sounds interesting," he said pleasantly. "I'll have to borrow it when you're done."

I beamed at him and we started talking about good books we've read. More than once I caught Draco looking at us from the Slytherin table, and my stomach did a weird flip.

Once the feast had been demolished and everyone was well-fed, Professor Dumbledore stood and the din of chatter fell into silence.

Everyone listened as Dumbledore said the usual about Filch's no-no list (that no one cared about) adn that the Forbidden Forest was.. well, forbidden.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quiddich Cup will not take place this year."

That got _everyone's_ attention.

"What?" Cedric said in disbelief. I was disappointed; I loved to watch the Quidditch matches.

Professor Dumbledore continued.

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy--but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble and the doors of the Great Hall banged open.

The man that stood in the doorway was unlike any man I had ever seen. His face seemed to be made from poorly whittled wood, he had a wooden leg that clunked every other step, grizzled hair that made him look crazy, and his eyes didn't match; one was small and beady, and the other was large and electric blue. It didn't blink, just kept moving up, down, and everywhere.

He said something to Dumbledore who nodded and gestured to the empty seat. The strange man sniffed his food before he ate it.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Professor Moody."

No one clapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid. Everyone else just stared at the strange man.

"Mad-Eye Moody?" muttered Cedric.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"He was a famous Auror. But most say he's just nutters now."

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, we are having the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" exclaimed Fred Weasley loudly.

Everyone laughed.

"I am _not_ joking, Mr. Weasley," he said. He then wanted to tell a joke he had heard, but Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and he went on.

He explained how the tournament started as a friendly competition between the three schools and how the champions competed in three tasks. It used to be held once every five years, but too many died so it was discontinued. But the departments of Magical Games and Sports and International Magical Cooperation had decided it was time to make another attempt.

"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which studentsare most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

"Wow," I whispered in awe.

"That sure is a lot," Cedric whistled.

Dumbledore started to speak again and the excited mutters and whispers fell back into silence.

He said there was an age restriction, which was seventeen. Suddenly, several students went from wishful to mutinous, especially the Weasley twins.

Then, with a final farewell, Dumbledore dismissed the students to bed.

"Are you going to enter?" I asked Cedric on our way to the common room.

"I think so. Pity about the age requirement, though. The Weasleys looked ready to curse someone," he joked.

"Yeah," I laughed.

I, personally, was glad for the age restriction. I could just imagine Draco entering and getting himself killed just for a bit of glory.

I said good night to Cedric and headed off to bed. Spoons greeted me with a hiss and curled up next to my pillow. I swear, sometimes he acts more like a cat than a snake.

Ignoring the other girls, I pulled the curtains around my bed so they couldn't see me. My last thought before drifting off to sleep was about the kiss and how nice Draco's lips felt against mine.

**A/N**

**I dont usually do author notes at the end, but I just had to this time. XDXDXDXD what'd you think!!?? This doesnt mean they're together yet, that'll still be some chapters off, but I figure ya'll deserved a kiss XD**

**AND! I made a wallpaper for it!! I'll post it on the facebook page if I decide to make one. **

**And, if anyone is a good artist n puts stuff on , I would LOVE fanart!! I know it's kind of weird to ask for it, but I want to see Willow n Draco in a picture together =3 Sew, pwwweeeessseeee!!**

**And, I made a music video featuring IMVU. It's for Disturbed's Indestructable. Next, I'm doing Gothic Lolita. =3 when I'm finished, I'll post the link to youtube if ya'll want to see them. **

**Okay, I'm done now. Hope you liked it!**


	15. Broken Bones

**Chapter 15**

**Yay! Another chapter! -dodges flying tomatoes- I ish seeeew sorreh! DX I had most of it written and everything, I just kept putting it off and off and off…. Ya'll prolly want to kill me, huh? Lol. **

**Guess what! I'm 18 now! Yay. And I graduated =DD yay! Anyway, for those of you who wanted to see my facebook page for Will of the Willow, its: www. facebook .com/pages/Will-of-the-Willow/387110852992 ... cept... you know... without the spaces. lol. for some reason it wont let me put in the actual address. lol**

**It needs more fans… lol. And I'll be updating the status with snippets of the upcoming chapters =)**

**I'm thinking about making a page for it on glogster… that'd be cool. **

**Ooh! This chapter has my first cliffhanger! Normally I try to resolve things by the end of the chapter, but on this one I decided on a cliffie. Sew, I'm excited about that =3 I'll try to update faster so you're not stranded for too long XD**

**Thanks to … **

**CorianderSpice (I love yew!)**

**Shaya**

**Narniagirl18**

**IceCreamDragon**

**Monkeyillusion**

**Dangermouse92**

**FlyingNargles**

**Sam**

**for reviewing! I loves yew! BTW, who besides me friends, reads this that are from Kansas? Just wondering =)**

**Anywayz, Enjoy!**

_Pictures framing up the past  
Your taunting smirk behind the glass  
This museum full of ash  
Once a tickle, now a rash_

_-Pink_

I woke to hushed, terrified whispers. I opened my eyes to see light streaming through the window, my bed hangings pulled aside, and my three roommates crowded around me.

Spoons was staring at them, occasionally flicking his tongue.

"Uh, good morning," I said uneasily.

"Willow," Hannah Abbot whispered, frightened, "there's a snake on you!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

I didn't really want to send Spoons home, but I couldn't let anyone know that I was a Parseltongue. Nor could I tell them that Spoons was my pet because we weren't allowed to have snakes.

"Oh, lookey there," I feigned mild surprise.

"Don't make any sudden movements!" Hannah said.

Then, I really _did_ roll my eyes.

"He's one of those harmless kind, not poisonous. Don't worry. I'll just go feed him to the owls."

The girls looked terrified but not suspicious as I picked up Spoons and put him in a box. Then I got dressed and took the box with me.

Thinking I was out of earshot, one girl turned to the others.

"She's so _weird_," she said and the other two agreed with her. A familiar pang settled itself in my heart at their words. They never knew how much their words hurt…

Spoons hissed from inside the box and, making sure no one was looking, I let him out. He curled up comfortably in my pocket.

"Good morning," a sleepy voice said behind me.

I turned around to see Cedric Diggory standing there rubbing his eyes. He yawned.

"Good morning," I mumbled back.

"What's in the box?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just a box…" I laughed, showing him the inside of the empty box.

Cedric just shook his head and went to breakfast. I chuckled lightly.

I threw the box away and made my way to the Great Hall. I was pretty early, so not many people were there. I ate in silence, occasionally slipping a piece of sausage into my pocket for Spoons.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over my shoulder, blocking my light. I had been studying my schedule; I had Herbology with the Gryffindors, Transfiguration, and then Charms with the Slytherins.

"Doesn't look like a very fun day," George Weasley commented, grabbing my schedule. I just shrugged and picked at my eggs. My cheeks were burning.

"Especially Charms with the Slytherins," he continued, sitting down next to me. I took a quick glance around, but didn't see his twin anywhere.

George caught my look and laughed. "We aren't attached at the hip, y'know."

I laughed with him. "I know. It's just… unusual to see one of you by yourself."

"Not _that_ strange, surely," he chuckled. I just smiled but offered no reply.

My face flushed and I couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Catch you later," George said before the silence could grow awkward. I was grateful and smiled at him as he left.

Once people started to trickle in and disturb my peace, I got up and left, heading to the library.

I knew the weather wasn't about to get too warm as the school year went on, so I needed something to keep my pockets warm for Spoons. Snakes are cold blooded, so Spoons wouldn't like the cold too much. And a spell that would give him more space would be good, because at the rate how was growing, he wouldn't be able to fit in the pockets of my robes for much longer.

I wasn't quite sure where to start, so I just pulled a bunch of Charms books from the shelves. Charms is my best subject, so I knew that, with practice, I could master any spell in the book.

Although I found several interesting and/or useful spells, I found none close to what I was looking for. With a sigh, I left for Herbology.

Draco caught up with me outside of Charms after a rather unpleasant Herbology lesson.

"Why didn't I see you at breakfast?" he asked. Although I had a valid reason to miss breakfast with him, I had an ulterior motive, also. I was embarrassed and confused about the kiss. This was the first time I had seen him since.

We sat down and Draco looked at me expectantly.

"Oh, I ate early and went to the library. I needed to find a spell to keep my pockets warm for Spoons," I explained quietly.

"Did you find anything?" he asked. I glanced at Professor Flitwick who was demonstrating how to control a levitating object. It looked easy enough, and we were divided into pairs to practice it.

"Not really," I told him, "but I found one we could use to pass notes, even if we're across the school. We will have to practice it, though."

"That's good," he replied, distracted with trying to get the spell to work. The cushion would move right and up, but if he tried left or down, it would spasm and go in a random direction.

"Here, let me show you. You need to flick your wrist less and straighten your stance more," I told him while putting pressure on his back so he would stand straighter. He was so… tall, I suddenly noticed.

After that, the charm worked better.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Pansy working with Millicent Bulstrode. Pansy caught my eye and motioned for me to talk to Draco. I realized what she wanted and nodded.

"So… Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you, er.. like?" I asked awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his face fixed with concentration as he tried the spell again.

"What do you like in a girl?" I clarified for him.

The cushion he was levitating went flying and hit Susan Bones in the face.

I sighed and fixed his fingers. He had let them slip which had caused the object to hit Susan.

Draco was quiet as I did so. I could feel his breath tickle my neck. I suddenly thought of his breath on my face, his lips on mine... I blushed at my train of thought.

"Stand a little straighter… There. Now try it again." I was proud when my voice didn't betray my thoughts.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked, attempting the spell once more.

"No reason," I lied. "I just haven't seen you date anyone, so I wondered if you were picky or something."

I grinned at the strange look he gave me.

"Um... er... well... I like... girls that are shorter than me," he started uncomfortably. I laughed.

"Draco, that's almost all girls. What else?"

"Dark hair is nice, I guess... and good... skin," he stumbled. He was clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "What about you? What do you like?"

"In a boy?"

"No, dummy, in a goblin."

I stopped and thought for a moment. I hadn't really given it much thought.

"Well, I like tall boys. Um... I like... red hair?" I said, suddenly thinking of a certain red-haired twin.

The cushion went flying again and hit Susan Bones in the back of the head. Angrily, she threw it back at Draco.

I sighed. "What's wrong with you today? You're acting weird."

He just shook his head and we dropped the subject.

Soon, the bell rang and everyone fled the classroom. Draco barely said goodbye before we went our separate ways. I woke up Spoons, who had been sleeping comfortably in my pocket the whole day, and I dropped him off in my room, telling him to stay put and keep quiet under my bed where I made a little nest for him.

Later, while heading to dinner, Draco suddenly yelled.

"Weasley! Hey Weasley!"

Ron Weasley, Granger, and Potter all turned around to see Draco and co. looking pleased. I frowned. If this was about the article he saw in the paper...

"What?" Weasley said shortly.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Draco then took out his _Daily Prophet_. "Listen to this!"

He read the article out loud in a mocking manner. It was about Moody and Arnold Weasley. I hadn't read the article yet, but I had seen Draco waving it around earlier. The writer did a good job at making them look bad.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" Draco taunted, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house- if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

Weasley was shaking with fury.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," said Potter. "C'mon, Ron..."

I put my hand on Draco's arm, trying to urge him to stop, but he just brushed it off and continued.

"Oh, yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" he sneered cruelly. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

"You know _your_ mother, Malfoy?" Potter said-both he and Granger had grabbed the back of Weasley's robes to stop him from launching himself at Draco-"that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

Draco's face became slightly pink. I tried pulling on his arm and hissed his name under my breath, but he shoved me off him angrily.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."

"Keep your big mouth shut, then," Potter said, turning away. My eyes widened as I saw Draco whip out his wand and aim it at potter's back.

Realizing what he was about to do, I pushed Draco's arm in an attempt to stop him. He barely moved, his stance like a rock.

BANG!

Several students screamed, and I glimpsed Draco's curse as it grazed the side of Potter's face. Before he could even touch his wand, another loud BANG sounded and Moody, who was coming down the stairs, roared loudly.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

I looked at the spot where Draco had stood, gasping in horror to see a trembling pure white ferret in his place. No one moved or spoke.

I wasn't paying attention when Moody asked Potter something. Crabbe bent over to pick up the ferret, Draco, when Moody shouted, "LEAVE IT!"

Crabbe froze and I glanced at Moody. He was facing the other direction.

The turned and started to limp towards us. Draco gave a terrified squeak and started running toward the dungeons.

"I don't think so!" Moody roared, pointing his wand at Draco. He flew up ten feet, smashed into the floor and flew up again. I stared wide-eyed as he squealed in pain.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," Moody growled, bouncing Draco higher and higher. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do…"

Draco's legs flailed helplessly. "Never-do-that-again-"

"Professor Moody!"

A shocked Professor McGonagall came down the staircase, her arms full of books.

I barely noticed her as I kept my eyes worriedly on Draco as he was bounced up and down.

"What-what are you doing?" McGonagall asked, her eyes watching the bouncing ferret in disbelief.

"Teaching," Moody replied.

"Teach-Moody, is that a student?" she shrieked, dropping her books.

"Yep," Moody said.

"No!" McGonagall pulled out her wand and a moment later, Draco reappeared lying on the floor. His hair was a mess and his face pink with embarrassment.

He winced as he stood, his gaze remaining on the floor. I resisted the urge to run to him.

"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?" McGonagall chided.

Moody scratched his chin, unconcerned. "He might've mentioned it, yeah. But I thought a good sharp shock-"

"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!"

Moody glared at Draco. "I'll do that then."

Draco glared back and muttered something.

"Oh yeah?" Moody limped foreword. "Well, I know your father of old, boy… You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son… You tell him that from me… Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"

"Yes," Draco sulked.

"Another old friend," the professor growled. "I've been looking foreword to a chat with old Snape… Come on you…"

Moody grabbed Draco by the upper arm and hauled him away. Anxiously, I followed them.

I kept my distance as they made their way to the dungeons. Moody suddenly stopped, yanking Draco to a halt.

"Is there a reason yer followin' us?" he growled. It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me, especially since he was staring straight ahead. Draco twisted around to see me. The painful humiliation was evident in his eyes.

"Uh..." I stammered.

"Then git," he growled.

I hesitated, looking at Draco for direction. He nodded, even though his eyes begged me to stay.

Without commenting further, Moody dragged him away.

I made my way back to the Great Hall, but once I reached the crossroads between the Great Hall and Slytherin Common Room, I chose the later. I wasn't really hungry, and I didn't want to hear 3/4 of the school laughing at Draco's expense.

So instead, I went to the Slytherin Common Room and sat on the green couch in front of the warm fire and waited.

I was falling asleep when Draco came in and shook me awake. I looked at him with sleepy eyes and he gave me a small smile.

"What's the verdict?" I yawned.

Draco sat by me and I snuggled against him for warmth. The fire had gone out and it was a bit chilly.

"Mad-Eye just grunted warnings and insulted Snape and said I was a coward and blah blah blah. I didn't get punished, though. Just wait till my father hears about this crazy loon teaching classes," Draco ranted. He didn't sound quite as confident as he usually did, but he was quickly turning back to his usual self.

"This is all Potter's fault. If he would duel like a man and-"

"Potter!" I exclaimed, not believing my ears. "Potter's fault? You've got to be joking! Draco, this is all _your_ fault."

"_My_ fault?"

"Yes, _your_ fault. Draco, you've got to stop provoking people. Professor Moody shouldn't have done that, but I'm not going to let you think it wasn't your fault," I scolded. If he wasn't such a git, then this never would have happened.

"So you're taking their side, then?" he demanded angrily.

"What? I didn't say-" I started, pushing myself away from him.

"You said I deserved it!" He interrupted.

"I didn't say that!" I yelled back, frustrated. "I said you deserved to be punished, not bounced around as a ferret! Why couldn't you just leave them alone?"

"Because I was angry! And his mum really is a porker," he said hotly.

"What do you have to be angry about?" I snapped, crossing my arms. "And you should leave people's mums alone."

"You're the reason why I was angry! Besides, he insulted my mother, so I can insult Weasley's," he replied childishly.

We stood, glaring at each other. My arms were folded across my chest and his hands were clenched at his sides. I resisted the urge to tear my hair out.

"Me? What did I do? And you insulted his mother first, so of course you're going to get the same!"

"Well, it's not like you would understand," Draco sneered, "you don't have a mother!"

I felt as if he has slapped me across the face. I was speechless. Draco had _never_ said anything like that to me before.

As soon as he said it, he was fumbling with his words stupidly. Hurt, I turned away to hide my tears.

"Willow..."

"Maybe I should go," I managed to choke out.

"Willow!" he called as I left. "Willow! I didn't mean it!"

But I was already out the door.

The students had just started coming out of the Great Hall, so by the time I was close to the Hufflepuff wing, the halls were deserted.

My footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallway. I stopped suddenly and stood there, holding myself. I tried not to cry, but wasn't quite managing it. Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder. I screamed.


	16. AUTHOR NOTE

Okay, I am SOOOOOO friggin sorry that I dropped off the face of the earth... I dont really have a reason, I just couldnt make myself write anymore. but I cant get this story out of my head, so it means I cant not write it. I understand if ya'll hate me, but I hope you can hang in there for a while. What I think this story needs is a rewritting. So, for now Will of the Willow is on hiatus (which, I guess, you could argue that it had already been on) until I can go through all my chapters and rewrite them. then I will take down the one I have up now and repost the new one. I dont think TOO much will change, but mainly some mistakes I made. There were some things where I wrote something in because I wanted it to have something to do with later chapters, but they never went in that direction. I will also work on making a better summary... cuz mine sucks xD

Anyway, so sorry! I hope you dont all hate me and will continue reading when I have the improved story up. If any of you have suggestions or encouragement, dont be afraid to message me =3


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